They Are Trying To Get It Right

School boards across the country are struggling to deal with gender variant students, some are getting it right and some are doing everything that they can to marginalized gender variant students.

Parents disagree on 2 proposed transgender policy draftsLaramie Boomerang
By Nuria Mathog
January 19, 2016

The policy was first introduced in August, when the initial draft passed a first reading at a School Board meeting. A month later, the board opted to form an ad hoc committee, consisting of board members, district administration, school principals, parents and an LHS student, to study the matter further, and Dec. 18, two versions of the proposed policy — Draft A and Draft B — were released to the public.

While the two drafts are largely identical — each states school staff should use a student’s preferred name and pronouns and students can dress according to their gender identity — they also have significant differences. One of these key differences is Draft A allows students to use locker rooms and restrooms in accordance with their gender identity, while Draft B does not permit this.

So one policy obeys the law and the other one does not. Simple choice, obey the law.

Laramie City Councilor Andi Summerville, whose children will soon attend school in the district, said she was in favor of Draft A because it would provide more protections for students.

“Although both policies are great, and I would be happy for either one, I think that policy A provides a better environment and sends a better lesson to our Laramie community that we’re welcoming and all-encompassing and we’re going to create school environments that are open and comfortable to people from all walks of life,” she said in a phone interview Friday.

While Draft B…

Several emails either expressed support for Draft B, citing safety and moral concerns about having children share restroom and locker room facilities with students not of their assigned gender, or opposed the concept of a policy altogether.

Parent Sam Martin said he didn’t support either policy but preferred Draft B because of its approach to the restroom and locker room matter. The moral standards surrounding the policies appear to come from outside the community, he said, adding it’s essential for parents to have the voice and the authority to say what goes on at their children’s schools.

It looks like there will be a modified Draft A that will include allowing any child to use a gender neutral bathrooms, which in my opinion is the way to go.