Harpeth Hall, a private all-girls’ school in Nashville, Tennessee, has backed off a policy that would have allowed boys who identify as girls to attend the school after pushback from the community.
The all-girls’ school announced that they would “pause” the adoption of a framework that would have allowed boys who identify as girls to be admitted to the school in a letter from the Board of Trustees that was obtained by Breitbart News.
The letter references the earlier decision. “We recognize that this philosophy elicited strong reactions of support and opposition beyond our expectations,” it reads. “We care deeply about your feedback, and we have heard you.”
“Based on the response from our school community, Harpeth Hall is choosing to pause the adoption of the philosophy in order to engage a wider audience in continued discussion.”
The letter also notes that the board will “follow up regarding next steps as we engage our community in the continued discussion about … our all-girls mission at Harpeth Hall.”
As Breitbart News reported, Harpeth Hall originally told parents, “Any student who identifies as a girl may apply to our school. Students who join and remain at Harpeth Hall do so because our mission as a school for girls resonates with them.”
The previous letter also noted that Harpeth Hall, which serves middle and high school students, “recognizes that adolescence includes natural searching and questioning about many topics. For some students, this may include the question of gender identity and the desire to identify as nonbinary or use they/them pronouns.”
The school originally said that they would provide Breitbart News with a statement, but then could not be reached. Breitbart News had asked if the previous letter meant that girls would have to share locker rooms or bathrooms with boys and also asked if parents had been consulted on the matter.
The controversial letter was followed by an article in local media by the school’s Head, Jess Hill, which defended the letter, claiming, “For more than 155 years, Harpeth Hall has been an all-girls school. That will not change.”
“We are leading a national conversation on the place for girls in an ever-evolving world,” Hill wrote.
The board’s decision to back down is a victory for parents who, following the initial letter, advocated for their daughters’ safety and for the integrity of the all-girls’ school .
Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com.
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