Public Comment: A Statement in Support of Dr. Xi

by Ali Wicks Lim for the ad hoc LGBTQIA+ Caucus of Amherst

A statement from the LGBTQIA+ Caucus, read by Ali Wicks-Lim at the Regional School Committee meeting on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 

This caucus formed when the previous superintendent allowed queer and trans students to be harmed and failed to address the systemic issues that contributed to the harm. We organized and advocated for change because we were unwilling to allow the harm to continue. The previous superintendent would not even return the emails of stakeholders, let alone meet with us to find ways to protect students. He was comfortable with the status quo and his administration protected him at the expense of children.

Dr. Xi has given us regular meetings where we’ve been able to develop student-focused strategies to repair the harm caused by the previous administration and address needs as they arise. We’ve experienced her as welcoming, committed, professional and accessible.

The caucus recognizes there may come a time when we’ll disagree with Dr. Xi or she is unable to meet an ask; that is the nature of her work, and our’s. If it happens, we feel confident we’ll be able to advocate for what we believe, while also finding common ground in our shared commitment to putting children first. While we will hold any administrator accountable for protecting LGBTQIA+ students we would not choose to personally disparage her, anonymously and publicly. We would not want to model that behavior for children.

Dr. Xi has been at ARPS for one semester. She was tasked with cleaning up a mess left behind by the previous administration and then judged for the circumstances she walked into on Day One. She arrived at a time when change is desperately needed and yet it seems like her efforts toward change have been met with resistance. She’s faced a series of relentless, anonymous, personal attacks. She is being held to impossible standards. There appears to be no room for her to be human. 

The Caucus is wondering where these standards were under the previous administration. Where were the 12 administrators who filed this recent anonymous complaint when kids were getting hurt and the previous Superintendent knowingly allowed it to happen and then lied about it to the public? There were no whistleblowers when we were trying to protect queer and trans kids. 

Some of the ARPS administration and some members of the broader community appear to be continuing the legacy of prioritizing the comfort of adults over the needs of children. 

Change is both necessary and challenging. There are bound to be disagreements but it is how they are addressed that determines the integrity of a community. It would benefit students if adults would address their concerns in a more professional and appropriate way rather than through anonymous and personal accusations, delivered selectively to some media. The amount and type of criticism Dr. Xi has faced so early in her time here are unprecedented. It would benefit all of us to take a close took at the roles race and gender play in who is held accountable in Amherst. The Caucus asks School Committee members to pay close attention to how Dr. Xi is being treated by the same community and administration that remained silent while queer and trans kids were being harmed. We feel it is our responsibility to name that Dr. Xi has been exceedingly open to every ask we’ve made to center the needs of children in a system that has historically failed to do so. While we wait for the results of the investigation please consider the possibility that the ongoing campaign against Dr. Xi may be attached to an agenda that has more to do with the wants of adults than the needs of children. 

Ali Wicks Lim is a former resident of Amherst and a member of the ad hoc LGBTQIA+ Caucus of Amherst