The Conway School Board adjourned its March 14 meeting after a transgender UCA student criticized board members for lobbying the state legislature to restrict student use of restrooms that do not match their sex assigned at birth.

The board gave Hypatia Meraviglia, who introduced themself as transgender and said they use they/them pronouns, three minutes to speak. Meraviglia later tweeted they felt the board had “shouted down and enthusiastically misgendered” them.

Meraviglia brought up board members Linda Hargis and David Naylor’s Jan. 26 speeches in support of House Bill 1156, sponsored by Rep. Mary Bentley, R-Perryville. 

Meraviglia said, “I think it’s really interesting in that committee that Hargis and Naylor bellyache so much about how much negative media coverage they get, and how no one wants to make the hard decisions they have to about whether Black kids can celebrate their own history, or whether trans kids can pee.

“It just so happens that there are several people very enthusiastic to join this board,” Meraviglia said, referring to upcoming elections.

Board members looked to the board’s president, Andre’ Acklin.

“Ma’am,” Acklin said, interrupting and misgendering Meraviglia with one minute, and 18 seconds left of their three minutes.

“This has nothing to do with the agenda,” Hargis said.

Naylor said, “That’s untruth, Andre’.”

The fact that two school board members were up for election was on the agenda; Superintendent Jeff Collum mentioned the May elections and introduced the candidates in his “superintendent’s report.”

Meraviglia said, “I will continue with my comments,” and Acklin interrupted again.

“Ma’am, ma’am, I’m going to ask you to stay on topic,” he said.

Meraviglia asked, “I’m talking about the school board election. May I continue?”

“If you want to talk about something school-related, but nothing disrespectful. Nothing that disrespects,” Acklin said, before granting Meraviglia another minute to make up for the interruptions.

When Meraviglia concluded their public comment, Naylor said he had a question for Meraviglia, but Acklin did not allow it.

“I want this young lady to go ahead and go to her seat. OK?” Acklin said, to which Meraviglia began shaking her head.

Acklin said, “I want her to go ahead and go to her seat.”

Meraviglia said, “I’m not a lady.”

“Go to your seat, madam,” Acklin said.

Meraviglia said, “I’m not a lady. I said it at the beginning. I’m transgender and my pronouns —”

Acklin interrupted.

“I’m asking you nicely,” he said, and Meraviglia returned to the audience.

Acklin said, “Now, board, this is what I don’t want to get into. This is not a back-and-forth, OK. We want to make sure we stay with that.”

“We’ve taken care of what we came here to do tonight, and that’s school business. I’m inclined to make a motion to adjourn. I just need a motion to adjourn,” Acklin said.

Jennifer Cunningham made the motion, and board member Jason Sandefer seconded.

A nonbinary Conway High School tenth grader, Cade Durham, said Meraviglia’s experience was “scary,” and that they were “worried” about them.

“To see another person who uses they/them pronouns just get completely, not even allowed to correct them, not even allowed to respond back … for them to experience that publicly is really traumatic, and a lot of transgender people already experience a lot of anxiety,” Durham said.

Meraviglia said in their public comment, “I care what happens in our schools, because I grew up as a trans kid, too, and it breaks me to see my queer siblings abused and rejected by their school.”

“I want to remind the community about some of their comments at the House Education Committee,” Meraviglia said. “Hargis spoke at length about a trans girl who is enrolled in our schools. She misgenders her the entire time.”

Meraviglia quoted parts of Hargis’ speech but corrected the student’s pronouns.

In front of the committee, Hargis said, “We had an incident at the very beginning of school, where a young man registered with his parents, wanted to be called a girl’s name, wanted pronouns, wanted all the things that girls have on our campus.

“I was taught that my rights end where yours begin, and that’s the situation here in these restrooms and locker rooms. The young man’s rights end where those girls’ rights begin,” Hargis said.

Hargis said to the committee that while transgender students can use single-occupancy restrooms, “students who are forced to use multiple occupancy bathrooms have no choice if you don’t pass this bill. They don’t have a choice. And from that standpoint, I think that we are setting them up for a risk to be harmed.”

Hargis also told the legislators Bentley’s bill “mirrors exactly” the bathroom and overnight-trip policies the board unanimously passed for the Conway Public School District in October 2022.

Hargis begged the legislators to pass the bill in her Jan. 26 speech, but the bill didnt make it to the governor’s desk until March 16. 

Hargis said, “I get a little bit choked up on this because I believe what God said when he said, ‘you protect my little children,’ and I think we are obligated to do that. We are obligated to protect these children. Please, please, vote yes on this bill, and make all of our students safe and comfortable.”

Meraviglia told the board they have been registered to vote in Conway for years, and said Hargis’ comments at the House Education Committee “have been rattling around in my skull since I first heard it.”

“Not only are our board members spending taxpayer time and money advocating for genocidal reductions in our children’s rights, they are explicitly, unapologetically stating that their comfort zone matters more than our children’s rights to exist and be safely,” Meraviglia said.

Superintendent Collum said during the meeting, “Linda Hargis is the board’s legislative liaison and delegate,” and introduced her to provide updates about the progress of school-related bills. Hargis mentioned the governor’s education bill, two bills about the Freedom of Information Act and a bill that would change school board member terms from five to four years and move elections to November.

Hargis did not mention the progress of HB1156, the bill she and Naylor went to the Arkansas Capitol on Jan. 26 to support.

Meraviglia said the board members up for reelection in early May, Jennifer Cunningham and Bill Milburn, should not discount the voting power of college students living in the area.

“In particular, Sheila Franklin, and Jess Disney, both of whom who have spoken against the racist, anti-Black directive issued by this board, are running,” Meraviglia said.

“Conway’s college students have lived here for years. We live here. We thrive here. We work here. We pay taxes here. We fall in love here. We set down roots here. The decisions made here directly affect us,” Meraviglia said.

Meraviglia’s experience comes after each board member took time during the meeting to describe what they learned from the “team of eight” training in Plano, Texas.

Collum said they learned tips to help members engage and build trust with the community.

Cunningham said it was “insightful” and “energizing” because she saw the board share a “passion to provide the best for our district.”

“When my term began five years ago, the education system and the priority of the board looked different,” Cunningham said. “Today, we are fighting a culture war that looks to remove parental rights and promote false narratives.”

Early voting for the school board election begins May 2. Voting ends May 9.