The Utah State Board of Education censured one of its members Wednesday, after she questioned a student’s gender in a Facebook post.
“Following discussion in a closed session, the Board approved a resolution to censure Member Cline,” a statement from the board read. “The Board voted to request Member Cline’s resignation from the Board by February 19, 2024. Additionally, she will be removed from all committee assignments, not be allowed to place items on upcoming Board agendas, and prohibited from attending any Board advisory committee meetings.”
Fourteen members of the board voted to censure Natalie Cline on Wednesday for a Facebook post in which she “insinuated” that a female student in a picture “may not be female and is wrongly playing on a girls’ basketball team” last week, according to the censure resolution. She then “confirmed the insinuation in a subsequent post” a day later.
“Member Natalie Cline’s post resulted in numerous negative comments which could be considered inaccurate, derogatory, defamatory, demeaning, harassing and threatening toward one of the students pictured in the post,” the censure resolution stated.
The board also said in the resolution that comments in support of the student, which “drew attention to the inaccuracies of the post in relation to the minor student” in the initial post, were removed.
“Member Cline has over three years of experience as a Board Member and awareness of the processes and procedures put in place to address questions or concerns raised by the public,” the resolution continued.
In a thread on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the board on Thursday said that it “extends its deepest apologies to those harmed by this conduct, in particular the student who was targeted.”
“We hope that the actions taken can provide support for the student and the family,” the board said in the thread.
The Hill has reached out to Natalie Cline.
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