Amherst middle school counselor to be reinstated after being fired for allegedly misgendering students

Boston Globe

3 days ago

The district failed to document disciplinary measures against the counselor over the alleged actions, and the arbitrator lacked evidence, documents, and key witnesses during arbitration, according to a recent statement from the superintendent.
Dykes and her attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
However, Dykes's attorney, Ryan P. McLane, who also represented two other employees, in 2023 told the Globe in an e-mail the allegations are unfounded.
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'My clients did not engage in 'conversion therapy' or any Title IX violation,' he wrote at the time. 'They are Christians, but that does not mean that they are somehow not entitled to a fair investigation. While the law prohibits discrimination based on sex, it also prohibits discrimination based on religious beliefs.'
As Dykes is likely to return to the middle school for the new school year in a few weeks, students, parents, and advocates are calling on the district to prevent Dykes from interacting with students.
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Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman, who joined the district in July 2024, said she's working to build transparent systems and to ensure accountability.
'We cannot change the past, but we can and must learn from it. We will use this moment to build stronger systems, reset expectations, tighten guardrails, and create clearer pathways forward,' Herman said.
The superintendent acknowledged many oppose Dykes's reinstatement, and asked the community to be understanding and not divisive.
'While we are complying fully with the legal requirements outlined in the arbitration ruling, our long-term focus remains on building systems that reflect our values, protect our students, and holds us all to a high standard of professional conduct,' she said.
The district's legal team is working with Dykes's attorneys to ensure the arbitrator's order is implemented, Herman said.
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During a School Committee meeting July 22, dozens of parents, students, and advocates asked the board and Herman to prevent Dykes from interacting with students.
Some pointed to Dyke's alleged behavior documented in a
'If there is no other option, and we have to allow her back into the schools, I ask you to make sure that she not be put into any position where she'll be interfacing with any students at all,' Amber Cano-Martin, who has two children in the district, told School Committee members.
She said she planned to write letters to staff indicating her children can have no contact with the counselor.
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Jill Brevik, an Amherst resident and parent of a transgender child, said her family is 'devastated' by the news Dykes will be reinstated.
'While the arbitrator ruled that her termination was flawed procedurally, that does not erase what the investigation actually found,' Brevik said. 'How can someone with this depth of bigotry be returned to a role of authority and trust over vulnerable children? Especially if there's no apology, no recognition of wrongdoing or reconciliation with everybody that has been harmed.'
Laura Jane Hunter, whose husband is a teacher at the middle school and two children attend the district's high school, said she doesn't want any of her children near Dykes.
'I don't think she should ever be allowed to be near any student. She should not be in any student-facing position,' Hunter said. 'I don't understand what happened, what went wrong. I want transparency. I want to understand fully where the district failed.'
Many who spoke at the meeting acknowledged Herman is a new superintendent, but they still want an explanation of how the district could let Dykes win her appeal due to procedural errors.
'Within your role, you have the purview of setting policies. It is your responsibility right now to review all your policies in relation to bullying, LGBTQIA, racism, so forth and so on,' said Jed Proujansky, a member of the select board of Leverett. 'You need to address those policies, review them with complete transparency, so the community once again has faith and trust in the board and the school district.'
Proujansky then addressed Herman directly, stating she has the responsibility of monitoring Dykes's actions as the counselor returns to the district. Herman should make sure Dykes's relationships with students and colleagues are appropriate, he said.
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After public comment, Herman said she's spent a great deal of time reflecting about the district's systems.
'The arbitration decision highlighted long-standing gaps in how we document, communicate, and enforce expectations related to personnel,' Herman said. 'These issues didn't appear overnight. They point to a deeper problem—a system where practices around supervision, performance management, and accountability have too often been informal or inconsistently applied."
Change is often uncomfortable, she said, but fear of retaliation will no longer be an excuse to avoid mandatory reporting. Ahead of the school year, Herman will release a complaint and communication guide 'to bring clarity, consistency, and transparency.'
Marcela Rodrigues can be reached at