Cedar Grove school board member resigns to avoid recall over gender identity survey

A controversial Cedar Grove school board member resigned today rather than face voters in a November recall election triggered by a survey asking public school students in grades 3-12 to reveal their gender identity without giving parents a chance to review.

Chrissy Dye, who is serving her fourth term on the local Board of Education, is departing after more than 3,000 local residents signed a petition in support of her ouster.

Dye’s resignation was part of a settlement of a lawsuit she filed seeking to challenge the validity of the recall.

The remaining school board members will now pick a replacement for Dye, and a special election will be held in November to fill her unexpired term.

“The recall committee and extended community is happy that Dye finally decided to resign, as her resignation was long overdue and came at an unnecessary personal and financial cost to many.  Dye’s mismanagement of her position on the board, mistreatment of parents, and unethical and hostile practices over the last year has caused much expense and hardship,” the recall committee said in a statement.  “The recall process was designed to allow voters the opportunity to remove someone like her from office. We were successful in garnering over 3000 signatures in support of the petition to recall in a truly historic community effort, which led to the just outcome of her resignation. We are hopeful that the community can move on from the damage she caused.“

The survey was later invalidated after Administrative Law Judge Gail Cooksey found the Cedar Grove Board of Education to be in violation of state law when it surveyed students about their gender, race and religious affiliation without first going through parents.   The State Department of Education upheld the ruling; coincidentally, Cedar Grove is the hometown of the acting Commissioner of Education, Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan.

Dye and her husband had faced allegations that they were intimidating some residents who signed the recall petition.