When a 13-year-old girl said she actually was a boy, teachers at her Maine school allegedly started using male pronouns for her and a counselor gave her a breast binder to wear to create the appearance of a flatter chest.
No one told her mother.
Amber Lavigne said she discovered the device in her daughter’s bedroom. It was then that the child admitted a social worker at the Great Salt Bay Community School had given it to her, as well as changing the name and pronouns she used at school, Lavigne told her community’s school board members during a public meeting on Dec. 14.
The youngster was told to keep it a secret from her parents, which caused her increasing “stress, anxiety, and depression,” Lavigne told the school board of the Central Lincoln County School System (CLCSS) AOS 93. The district serves seven rural communities in mid-coast Maine.
“Utilizing these devices can cause serious side effects,” the Newcastle mother told board members.
Studies suggest breast binders can cause back pain, shortness of breath, chest pain, skin problems, and rib fractures.
When Lavigne expressed concern to school officials for “this heinous act, they expressed grave concern,” she told board members.
Her daughter had turned 13 just a month before.
“She’s a minor child—my minor child!” the mother said, fighting tears throughout her three-minute opportunity to speak at the meeting. “And under no circumstances should she have been provided a chest binder without the knowledge of the parents.”
The school won’t release notes from meetings between the social worker and the child, Lavigne told board members.
A worker “at the school encouraged a student to keep a secret from their parents!” Lavigne said. “This is the very definition of child predatory sexual grooming. Predators work to gain a victim’s trust by driving a wedge between them and their parents.”
Voice quavering, Lavigne demanded that all employees with “knowledge of the secret be immediately terminated from their positions,” and “that our child’s records be released to us. Laws, policies, and parental trust were broken.”
A wedge was driven between the child and her parents, Lavigne continued.
“Consider for a moment if this was your child,” she said. “What would you do? No other parent should have to go through the trauma and distress that this has caused my family.”
Maine parental rights advocate Shawn McBreairty posted the video of Lavigne’s speech to Rumble.
Since the meeting, Lavigne has told The Epoch Times by text message that she plans to file a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission.
Lavigne and her lawyer declined to speak further with The Epoch Times, citing plans to file a lawsuit.
The Epoch Times reached out to the Great Salt Bay Community School, CLCSS AOS 93, and the school board members for comment. Calls and emails were not returned.
The social worker who worked with Lavigne’s child is Sam Roy, Lavigne told The Epoch Times. Roy is a graduate student with a conditional state license to practice social work. In 2016, he served as a public relations officer for the “Wilde Stein: Queer Straight Alliance,” a University of Maine LGBT group.
Lavigne has filed a formal complaint against Roy with Maine’s Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, according to an email from the agency confirming receipt of Lavigne’s allegations. The email was obtained by The Epoch Times after publication.
Roy wasn’t alone in his efforts to coach her daughter’s secret transition to living at school as a boy, Lavigne said. Other school officials also took part, she alleged, by hiding from her the child’s use of male pronouns at school.
After Lavigne’s story went public, the Great Salt Bay Community School removed its staff directory from its website, according to internet archive the Wayback Machine.
The school also posted a statement on its website, saying some individuals had spread “rumors and allegations” online to “try and divide our community.” The statement never said what issue it addressed.
The Great Salt Bay Community School Board’s statement also claimed it made decisions based on Maine law, but never specified what these decisions were.
“When administrators receive concerns from parents and/or students about potential issues in school, the Board has specific policies and procedures in place that must be followed when addressing those concerns. Those policies comply with Maine law, which protects the right of all students and staff, regardless of gender/gender identity, to have equal access to education, the supports and services available in our public schools, and the student’s right to privacy regardless of age,” the statement reads.
