Great Barrington teacher sues for “Gender Queer” research

Local News

In December, a police officer showed up at the school as part of a criminal investigation into a copy of “Gender Queer” in his class, which he ultimately did not find.

A Great Barrington middle school teacher filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday after an undercover police officer searched her classroom for an LGBTQ+ memoir.

Arantzazú Zuzene Galdós-Shapiro is a queer, Mexican-American English teacher at Du Bois Regional Middle School in the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. Since this research, Galdós-Shapiro has taken an extended leave from teaching.

In December, Officer Joseph O’Brien showed up at the school as part of a criminal investigation to search for a copy of “Gender Queer” in his classroom, which he ultimately did not find.

“Gender Queer” is one of the most banned books in schools nationwide. In the award-winning graphic memoir from a non-binary author, two characters are shown in the book engaging in oral sex.

“If they had conducted this research, even a simple Google search, prior to Agent O’Brien’s unlawful interrogation of Ms. Galdós-Shapiro, this search would have provided them with immediate evidence of the literary content and artistic and value of the book, as well as the numerous districts that had already evaluated the book and decided not to ban it,” the complaint states.

Police kept the identity of the janitor anonymous during the investigation

A “disgruntled” school janitor told Great Barrington police that Galdós-Shapiro allegedly distributed pornographic material, allowed students to sit on his lap and told students not to talk to their parents “LGBTQ material,” the complaint states.

Police chose to anonymize the identity of the janitor, who had already been disciplined by the school for making homophobic and racist comments, the complaint states. He was suspended for two days after “reprimanding” another Hispanic teacher.

And, according to district policies in the complaint’s attachments, anonymous complaints against district employees should be ignored.

“Worse still, his allegations were inherently implausible,” the complaint states. “He did not and could not explain how, as a janitor working evenings, he would have even had the opportunity to observe and/or hear Ms. Galdós-Shapiro and her students in his classroom during the class hours. »

According to the complaint, Galdós-Shapiro was well-liked as a teacher by her students and colleagues. She was specifically selected by Superintendent Peter Dillon, who was named as a defendant in the suit, to serve on a lead search committee last year.

Galdós-Shapiro also served as an advisor for a chapter of the national Gender and Sexuality Alliance organization at the college, which is a paid position. “Gender Queer” was housed in her classroom along with GSA-related books.

Students were required to consult Galdós-Shapiro’s book, and only one student did so, the complaint states.

Outcomes after the research

After the classroom search, Dillon contacted the Berkshire County District Attorney and “clarified” that the anonymous report should have been handled internally.

Galdós-Shapiro called for an independent investigation in January, when police still did not identify the janitor as the complainant. At the time, Great Barrington Police Chief Paul Storti said “they are known and identified by us.”

“Weeks passed during which Ms. Galdós-Shapiro had no way of knowing who was the person who had access to her classroom, her students, and herself, and what action they might take against her next,” the complaint states.

The complaint names the Town of Great Barrington, the District, Dillon, Storti and O’Brien as defendants. Galdós-Shapiro alleges that her First, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated.

The complaint alleges that, in various public communications, Dillon and Storti failed to clarify that a criminal investigation had been dropped and implied that Galdós-Shapiro had provided inappropriate materials to students.

Galdós-Shapiro still hasn’t returned to class.

“Defendants’ decision to publish the baseless, false and defamatory allegations against Ms. Galdós-Shapiro – including the allegation that she was essentially a pedophile – left her devastated and deeply shaken, sick, distressed and fearful, her reputation publicly. destroyed,” the complaint states.

A message to Storti was not returned Wednesday evening and Dillon is out of duty until May 28 due to surgery.

The full complaint is available here.