Outrage and Dismay

"This is not the Mount that I remember and this is not the direction Mount needs to go," said Adam Hogue of Providence.

"Bigotry and hatred should be our past, not our future," said Jamie Wronka, of Holliston, MA. "Trans children are at greater risk for depression, homelessness, abuse and suicide - schools should be a place of support, not hate."

RI Catholic School Bans Transgender Students
Alumni of Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket are reacting to a policy spelled out in the student handbook banning trans students.

Woonsocket, RI
By Mark Schieldrop (Patch Staff) - March 4, 2016 2:50 pm ET
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RI Catholic School Bans Transgender Students

WOONSOCKET, RI—Officials at Mount St. Charles aren't commenting about a recent policy declaration in the student handbook that bans transgender students from the school.

The policy, according to the parent student handbook, states on page 7 that "Mount Saint Charles Academy is unable to make accommodations for transgender students."

The policy also states that the school doesn't accept transgender students nor can the school continue to enroll students who identify as transgender.

A private Catholic school, the school is not required to abide by federal discrimination laws. The Diocese of Providence said in a statement on Friday that there is no diocesan policy on the issue of transgender students and it's a school-by-school policy.

After GoLocalProv posted a story about the policy in the handbook earlier this week, many alumni of the school expressed a mix of outrage and dismay on a petition created at Change.org.

As of Friday, it had garnered about 650 signatures and many supporters said they are upset that the school would so overtly state that transgender students would not be welcome.

"This is not the Mount that I remember and this is not the direction Mount needs to go," said Adam Hogue of Providence.

"Bigotry and hatred should be our past, not our future," said Jamie Wronka, of Holliston, MA. "Trans children are at greater risk for depression, homelessness, abuse and suicide - schools should be a place of support, not hate."

The policy has had voices in support on various social media threads that have mushroomed this week. It is true that the school can dictate its own policy because it doesn't get money from the government as a private school. Some people said they appreciated seeing an institution not succumbing to political correctness. Others note that the school handbook makes it clear that enrollment in the school signifies an understanding by parent and child that "education at Mount Saint Charles Academy is a ministry of the Catholic Church."