(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester Public Schools employee has been removed from the teachers’ union. The school counselor has been speaking out against a new school policy surrounding transgender and gender-expansive students and who should be informed of their pronouns.

Vince Wagner, the president of the Rochester Education Association, says Christina Barton’s actions have created a hostile work environment and have even students feeling embarrassed because of it. But a friend of Barton says she is being silenced.

Barton has been vocal about her opposition to a new school transgender guideline sent out to staff. But now, her actions have gotten her kicked out of the teachers’ union.

“There was a lot of considerations. Our executive board had three separate meetings on the issue. And ultimately, we decided to expel her because she violated the NEA code of ethics,” said Wagner.

Wagner says Barton’s violations include denying a student access to varying viewpoints, distorting the students’ progress, not protecting students from conditions harmful to learning as well as exposing them to embarrassment.

“We accept children as they are. We don’t try to change them, we accept them as who they are. We just try to educate them, and I think fundamentally that was the problem,” said Wagner.

Barton has argued that the new school transgender guidelines are secret, and she just wanted to get the word out. Some people in the community think Barton has been treated unfairly.

“There’s nothing wrong with being open, but you can’t just close out everyone’s opinion and that’s what they are doing here,” said Michael Currie, a friend of Barton.

He is frustrated that this is now an issue in Rochester schools.

“How about we just focus on reading writing and arithmetic and what you want to be when you grow up let’s help you get there,” said Currie.

But Wagner says, there’s more to it.

“I don’t know if she overtly outed anybody, but I promise you the students that are in Rochester Public schools — not even just her school — felt embarrassed,” said Wagner.

ABC 6 News reached out to the school district for comment, but they declined, saying this is a union matter, but she is still a RPS employee. ABC 6 also reached out Barton but have not heard back.