In a statement, the Kansas State Board of Education noted, “We are firm in our belief that decisions about the care, safety and well-being of all students are best made by the local school district based on the needs and desires of the students, parents and communities they serve”.
Advertisement
The Obama Administration has recently added a directive to accommodate transgender students but not every school in the country is ready to do so.
On Monday night, there was nothing on agenda to change the district’s nondiscrimination policy, but about 25 people spoke in support of it, and seven spoke against it.
A state school board member asked that a notice be sent to all OH school boards criticizing recent federal guidance requiring schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom consistent with their gender identity. “Once you put your pet issues on the back burner, I’ll do the same with mine”, he said.
“I want some legal advice over this, because this is a pretty contentious item today”, Gunlock said.
“Why would students who have experienced incidents or felt unsafe come forward to the district when the district has already demonstrated they’re more interested in promoting a social agenda rather than adhering to the reality of biology?” the statement said. Her lawyer, Wes White, is running for state attorney.
Obama administration officials and LGBT activists have said that the directive is necessary to ensure that schools are protecting the civil rights of some of their most vulnerable students.
School board voted to include “gender identity” to the school system’s Equal Opportunity policy. Lawrence Public Schools allows students to use the facilities that match their gender identity, said Lawrence school board President Vanessa Sanburn, but gender neutral bathrooms are also available for students who want increased privacy.
“School districts in the state of Kansas are accommodating the needs of their students and providing a safe environment”, McNiece said during a meeting Tuesday.
They also require district personnel to address transgender students by the name and pronoun that corresponds to their gender identity.
The federal guidance “overreaches and steps on local control and doesn’t consider the rights of all kids rather than just transgender kids”, Willard said.
A minority of the commenters, like former teacher Melody Bolduc whose filed to run for school board, said transgender students should be accommodated on a case-by-case basis only. She was one of three speakers who oppose the proposed bathroom policy.
Advertisement
Since the guidelines are not a formal policy, voting approval by board members is not required. That is the stance taken by school superintendents in Nassau and Clay counties. Most were against students’ using the restroom of their identified gender.
