Marengo-Union Elementary School District 165 has found itself in a debate over the separation of church and state after the head of a Christianity-based organization, who encourages children to embrace their “God-given” gender, was invited to speak to both teachers and parents.

Kathy Koch was originally scheduled to speak during an optional, virtual parent workshop on Sept. 9. Koch, an author and public speaker known for her work in child development, runs Texas-based Celebrates Kids, which is widely described online as a Christian ministry and whose tagline is, “Jesus celebrated kids. We equip people to follow His example.”

The district also paid Koch $10,500 to speak to teachers in August, with the session for parents described as a component of that contract.

After some parents and a board member raised concerns about the program for parents, it was postponed until the school board could vote on the matter, Superintendent Lea Damisch said.

Koch’s scheduled virtual appearance prompted a response from over 50 people who emailed Damisch opposing the decision, according to emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. Many objected to Koch’s statements on gender and the perception that this was bringing religion into a public school.

It appeared some of the emailers were not district parents or residents.

In an email to Damisch dated Aug. 29, board member Suzie Hester raised concerns about Koch speaking to the district while she’s promoting her most recent book that, Hester wrote, “discourages trans and nonbinary expression.”

“While individuals are entitled to their beliefs, I find it problematic that our district would offer a platform ... at the same time she is actively promoting her book tour,” Hester said in the email.

Koch’s latest co-authored book, titled “Raising Gender Confident Kids,” is described as a “practical, biblically grounded resource” for parents “to ensure children embrace their God-given identity,” according to her website.

During Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, Hester said she doesn’t have a problem with speakers having personal religious beliefs, but the difference in this case is that the district hosting Koch could come off as an endorsement her her book.

“There are many other presenters who also could present on these topics and could do very well on this, and they are in our backyard. And some of them are free,” she said. “They’re not selling books or anything like that. They are concerned about our communities.”

A contract with Koch’s Celebrate Kids, obtained via a FOIA request, shows the district paid $8,500 for Koch to present two separate sessions in person to teachers in August, along with the virtual parent workshop. Koch was also paid a $2,000 travel stipend. The $10,500 total is, Damisch said, comparable to previous speaker contracts.

Hester asked for the district to consider other options for the parent workshop. No vote was taken Tuesday on whether the presentation for parents will be rescheduled. For now, the conversations will continue in October, Damisch said.

The executive director of the nonprofit Trans Up Front Illinois, Asher McMaher, wrote a letter to Damisch as a “formal notice” that hosting Koch as a speaker “violates the established clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which requires separation of church and state.”

McMaher asked the district to cancel the event and implement a policy that ensures the school is not used to promote or endorse any specific religion.

Multiple teachers, community leaders and parents attended the Tuesday school board meeting to speak for and against Damisch’s decision to bring in Koch as a speaker.

Damisch ensured that Koch’s presentation to parents would revolve around her books “8 Great Smarts” and “Five to Thrive,” and would be “secular.” The two books center around ways to encourage learning in children, both with a mention of “God” in the descriptions on Koch’s website.

“She spoke at public schools, she has spoken at universities all over the country, secular universities,” Damisch said. “She assured me her message was secular, and it was secular. She was using her PhD in education psychology. She wasn’t talking about anything other than how to meet the needs of those kids.”

But some parents and community members indicated they were unconvinced. Parents pointed out that “God,” “Christ” and “Jesus” are repeatedly found in the “8 Great Smarts” book, which is published by Moody Publishers, along with Koch’s other books. The Christian publishing house is under the umbrella of the Moody Bible Institute.

Damisch said she consulted the district’s attorney, who advised her that a speaker with a religious background can speak at a school, “as long as the message is secular.”

“I still stand strong that her message was good,” Damisch said. “It was never my intent to make a parent or a board member feel marginalized. It was never my intent for a board member to feel that this was a too religious topic.”

As for the presentations Koch gave to teachers last month, Damisch said there wasn’t anything religious, and Koch was not allowed to sell her books at the school.

“There was no religious overtones, undertones, in-between tones in the entire presentation,” the superintendent said.

In response to a Shaw Media inquiry, Celebrate Kids Operations Director Wayne Stender said he was “shocked” to hear the response by the District 165 community. Koch has spoken at over 100 public schools in Texas, where she hasn’t received this backlash before, he said.

“She did public addresses all the time without integrating any faith perspective into it, just using her education background through her PhD work,” Stender said.

Damisch said she has a goal to provide more workshops for parents this year, with the next centered around inclusion and another on social media’s impact on children.