AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) - An Amherst school counselor accused of discriminating against LGBTQIA+ students is now on paid leave.

Delinda Dykes is the school counselor at Amherst Regional Middle School, and the accusations against her include misgendering students and making inappropriate gender-related comments. She says she is innocent.

The initial Title IX investigation was first launched in 2023. Dykes was terminated, appealed the firing, then was reinstated in July after an arbitration where a Hampshire Superior Court judge forced the school to reinstate her.

When the school appealed the decision for her reinstatement, the judge denied the motion. The arbitrator said that the district failed to prove that Dykes violated school policy, and the decision later drew protests among communit

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