Mortellus
Aug 1, 2021
An educator who spent a decade at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy described challenging a staff directive that could expose LGBTQ+ students to their families without their consent.
What happened: During the 2021–2022 school year, teachers at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy were reportedly instructed to notify the school guidance counselor whenever students requested to be called by names different from those recorded in the school's PowerSchool database. According to former TJCA teacher Jonathan Foust, the purpose of the instruction was to ensure that students' parents were informed. Foust, who taught at the Academy for approximately ten years, described the incident in a May 10, 2024 post to the TJCA Parents for Equality Facebook group. Foust recalled immediately challenging the instruction during the staff meeting, warning: "You're going to get kids beaten!"
The objection reflected a concern that automatically informing families about students' preferred names could expose LGBTQ+ children to rejection, punishment, or abuse at home. Foust reported that other employees, including the principal, appeared not to understand the concern.
What was established: Foust's original statement, preserved in TJCA Truth's research archive, provides a firsthand account of the 2021–2022 staff meeting. According to Foust, the guidance counselor at the time subsequently assured them that she would not involuntarily disclose students' identities to their parents and was committed to providing students with a safe environment. Foust described their theater classroom as a place where students could explore their identities and express themselves without fear. They argued that respecting students' chosen names and pronouns was a basic matter of dignity and safety. Foust also described becoming increasingly disillusioned with the Academy's treatment of students who did not conform to traditional expectations.
The account is particularly significant because it came from an educator describing an internal staff directive, rather than a parent's impression of school culture or a student's recollection of an individual encounter.
What was not established: The original written directive, if one existed, has not been recovered. It remains unclear whether the reported instruction became formal school policy, was consistently enforced, or resulted in students being involuntarily outed to their families.
Original evidence
May 10, 2024 — Jonathan Foust, firsthand statement in TJCA Parents for Equality.
The original Facebook post and subsequent discussion are preserved in TJCA Truth's historical research archive.
2021–2022 historical notes, documenting Foust's account of the staff meeting and concerns regarding LGBTQ+ students.
Subsequent developments: Foust left TJCA in 2023 after approximately a decade of employment.
In the May 2024 discussion, they described the decision as the result of accumulating concerns about changes in the Academy's priorities, leadership, and treatment of students. Foust emphasized that the school contained many dedicated educators, but expressed frustration with an institutional environment they believed had become less supportive of students who did not fit conventional expectations. The account also recalls an earlier former student's testimony concerning opposition to establishing a Gay-Straight Alliance at TJCA around 2015–2016.
Together, these accounts raise questions about how the Academy's approach to LGBTQ+ student inclusion developed over time. TJCA Truth welcomes historical faculty communications, training materials, student-name policies, and other documentation concerning the 2021–2022 directive and any subsequent changes.
Report from the community: Foust's preserved statement offers an unusually direct perspective from inside TJCA's faculty. Rather than describing discrimination experienced personally, Foust recounted recognizing a potential danger to students and challenging fellow educators about the consequences of involuntary disclosure. In the accompanying discussion, a TJCA parent expressed concern about whether the school remained a supportive environment for a child who already felt out of place. Foust responded by describing a gradual shift in the Academy's culture, while acknowledging the efforts of individual teachers who continued advocating for their students.
No additional firsthand accounts from employees present at the 2021–2022 meeting have yet been obtained for this archive. TJCA Truth welcomes accounts from former students, educators, counselors, and families familiar with the school's handling of preferred names, pronouns, LGBTQ+ student privacy, and the treatment of students who questioned traditional gender expectations. Contributors may request anonymity, and private correspondence will not be published without permission.