Students participated in two walkouts on Friday, Feb. 2 in support of now-resigned security officer Ty Reynolds and MMSD’s handling of issues revolving around trans and nonbinary students and staff.
“…Every morning I get like one fist bump and a few words (from Reynolds) that help me get through my day, and without those, it feels empty a little bit,” senior Orson Brelsford said.
The atmosphere of East changed drastically after security guard Ty Reynolds resigned on Monday, Jan. 29. Later that evening, during the MMSD School Board meeting, multiple staff members and a student spoke up on behalf of Reynolds and in favor of change that would better support trans and nonbinary staff and students.
“As a black trans person, he existed at a vulnerable intersection of identities and our admin. and the district did not do enough to make sure that he felt safe and supported at work. Between overhearing colleagues making transphobic remarks, to one white colleague claiming that they felt unsafe in his presence, Ty’s been let down by his supervisors because his concerns were not taken seriously,” said Taylor Bailey, teacher and Madison Teachers Inc. (MTI) union rep. “Most recently, a group of students at East decided to start harassing Ty. They misgendered him, threatened him with violence, and generally would say transphobic things whenever they could. This came to a head in November. Ty was asked to clear a bathroom of a group of students and it happened to be those students who had been harassing him. One student, in particular, became aggressive towards Ty and ended up chasing him into a principal’s office while threatening him. And another staff member had to physically hold the door shut to keep him safe. Ty was traumatized by this, but his principal, his direct supervisor — anybody who’s in charge of his job — did not check in with him, not even to get his side of the story. This incident and subsequent refusal to hear Ty’s version of events has resulted in Ty being forced to resign.”
Transphobia inside MMSD schools can lead to causing a tense environment for transgender students and staff. Although Reynolds has resigned, his positivity and connections with students remain on the minds of many in the East community.
“Ty is an extremely hardworking, extremely positive presence in the hallway. I know that if I had a problem in my classroom and had to get the behavior response team to respond, I was always happy to see Ty at my door. He was unfailingly positive, feeling empathetic with the students, worked hard to establish relationships with the students… His loss will be felt. It will be felt.” said Jeffery Kunkle, teacher and MTI union rep.
