1. Would you support a policy that requires all HCPSS schools to allow transgender students to use restrooms and changing facilities based on their identified gender? Please explain your answer.
Yes, I believe that there should be clear protections for students seeking to use restrooms and locker rooms for their identified gender. Not just because there are legal ramifications for not doing this, but it is quite simply the right thing to do. Restrictive access to facilities is a direct affront to principles of inclusion for our transgender students. Studies continue to report increased instances of bullying and sexual assault experienced by transgender and non-binary students related to negative attention received due to restroom restrictions. We cannot condone a practice that evidence shows puts our children at risk for harm. In addition to policy supporting access, there should be a corresponding commitment to ensuring that our facilities are in line with best practices to ensure the privacy of all of our students and programming to address the underlying fears that contribute to the resistance to inclusion.
2. Would you support a policy that requires HCPSS staff and non-official documents to use the name and pronouns that a student requests? Please explain your answer.
Yes, I would wholly support this. In my role on the Diversity & Inclusion committee for my department, we did a great deal of research on the importance of using personal pronouns and understanding the impact on students. As a result, we have made adjustments to include pronouns on name tags, email signatures and in our meetings.
3. To what age groups (if any) is it appropriate for teachers and other staff members to disclose to students that they have LGBTQ family members or are involved in a same-sex relationship?
It should be the same age as when a teacher or other staff disclose any relationship. By creating separate policies, it facilitates the stigma that LGBTQ relationships should be treated differently. Not only does this create an unfair (and illegal) double standard for the employee, but it also sends an incorrect message to the children. Children look to adults for social cues and will pick up on the stigma without the opportunity to process it if they are younger. They will just carry it with them. It is also a disservice to our LGBTQ students who see the inference that they are not able to speak freely about their relationships the same as their peers. The most recent case involving a teacher in Texas speaks to the legal liabilities for inhibiting such disclosures and the ensuing expense to a system that takes punitive action.
4. Should curriculum be revised to include reference to LGBTQ individuals, including the fact or possibility that the individuals were LGBTQ identified. If yes, what (if any) is the minimum grade level at which these changes should be made? Please explain your answer.
As with every other aspect of curriculum, it is important to begin conversations early. Historical figures are not any less important or relevant because they may have been LGBTQ identified. There should be proper context and discussion that is age appropriate, but it is important to include all aspects of someone’s identity.
5. Would you like to see LGBTQ themed works of literature, art, and media be introduced into the curriculum, and if yes, what (if any) is the minimum grade level at which this should be done? Please explain your answer.
I believe that LGBTQ themed work should be introduced to the curriculum and do not see a need for a minimum grade level. Restricting art based on the sexual orientation of the artist would deny students access to amazing art and the stories it tells. It would also restrict a passion if art is a field that LGBTQ students do not see themselves represented in and minimizes any student in an LGBTQ family who is made to feel different.
6. How should the school system provide more education to parents/guardians with regard to understanding and supporting LGBTQ youth? How should HCPSS reach out to parents/guardians who are unsupportive of their children’s LGBTQ identities?
There are a few ways to provide education to parents/guardians regarding ways they can better understand and support LGBTQ youth. Partnerships with advocates to co-host community events similar to other advocacy issues would be a great step in addition to supplementing any relevant lessons in class with supplemental resources for parents seeking to learn more (or for children to be better prepared for conversations). For parents/guardians who are unsupportive, setting up conversations with school counselors/administrators/trusted teacher may be a constructive step. Taking conversations out of the school could be beneficial as well and making connections to private providers to facilitate conversations. Ultimately having a diverse range of options available and framing them as ways to support their relationship with their children.
7. What accommodations should be made for transgender students participating in athletics organized by the school system? Which policies should be revised to reflect these accommodations?
Transgender students’ access to participation is protected under Title IX, so first and foremost, students should be supported in participating in a way that is consistent with their gender identity. Further considerations should be given to access to locker room spaces. In terms of policies, policy 9080 Interscholastic Athletic Program has no mentions of participation protocols to accommodate someone’s gender identity. Gender identity is included in the definitions for policy 1010 and 1020, but there is no mention of gender identity in Policy 1040 Safe & Supported Schools, which addresses an inclusive school climate.
8. Should HCPSS make sure schools offer access to LGBTQ student clubs like GSAs to their students? At what levels (High? Middle? Elementary?) should this happen? Please explain your answer.
Yes. Access to LGBTQ clubs should be available and they should be student demand driven in terms of when they begin.
9. What changes would you like to see made to the way HCPSS handles identification, reporting, interventions, and prevention of bullying?
There are significant flaws with bullying identification and reporting across HCPSS. These flaws erode trust and inhibit participation from anyone who views the process as broken and thinks “why bother?” Speaking to what can make the largest impact, which is prevention, we have to ensure that we are creating an inclusive and safe space for our LGBTQ students. This can be done through GSAs, ensuring that LGBTQ students are supported through policy and programming. All too often, policies and/or administrative indifference create an environment susceptible to the bullying of LGBTQ students. We have to facilitate school climates that ensure our LGBTQ students feel included and that they trust those meant to protect them. Further, we have to establish that behaviors seeking to harm our LGBTQ students will not be tolerated by ally administrators, teachers and student peers.
10. What measures should the school system take to prevent suicide among the student body?
There are significant overlaps of causation and prevention when it comes to student suicide at a general level and specific to those within the LGBTQ community. Student suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for those 10-24. Further, LGBTQ students are five times more likely to have attempted suicide in relation to their heterosexual peers. The American Journal of Public Health states that LGBTQ victimization increases the likelihood of self-harming by 2.5 times and other studies show that self-harm attempts of LGBTQ youth are more likely to result in serious injury or hospitalization. We have to ensure the safety of our children and provide better mental health supports. Class sizes and school overcapacity impact the ability of our educators to form bonds with students, especially those most vulnerable, which inhibits the ability to detect when someone may be in distress and prevent a student from coming to them for help. We also need to work as a whole to address negative stigmas around seeking mental health supports for all students and then we need to provide them. We know LGBTQ students are more susceptible and we need to be proactive.