SALINE, MI - As the parent of a transgender ninth-grader and a gender nonconforming sixth-grader, Dave Rosenfeld urged the Saline School Board to consider how a policy for children like his would provide necessary, special protections.
“They’re especially bullied and harassed and discriminated against just because they are transgender,” Rosenfeld said during the board’s Tuesday, Sept. 28 meeting.
“Some people like to think that all these bad outcomes are the natural result of being transgender, but what we have actually found out, and there is more and more or evidence for this all the time, is that they are really the result of how transgender youth are treated by others.”
The board is considering a new policy aimed at making school safe for transgender and and gender nonconforming students.
A draft brought forward by the board’s policy committee was discussed by board members and the public during a first reading Tuesday, with a second reading and possible vote coming at the board’s Oct. 12 meeting.
“The belief is that this policy would certainly provide more support,” Superintendent Steve Laatsch said. “If that’s what our district is about, then we certainly encourage that we would be passing this transgender policy in the near future.”
Students and parents of transgender and gender nonconforming children, as well as some board members, spoke in favor of the policy’s emphasis on keeping students safe and being in compliance with local, state and federal laws concerning bullying, harassment, privacy and discrimination.
Others were against approval of the policy, saying it’s a “sneaky attempt” to brainwash children and an “indoctrination into a life contrary to the biology of mankind.”
The “politics of fear and litigation” have crippled the Saline board and city of Saline into submission and the board doesn’t have the best interest of children at heart, Parent Justin Ku said.
“To the board, we see your intentions and they’re wrong,” Ku said. “Take the masks off our children and stop pushing gender theory to appease your overlords and turn our kids into communists.”
Although some parents argue the policy runs contrary to their Christian faith, St. Paul United Church of Christ Pastor Keith Koebel said he supports the policy and the protections it offers transgender and gender nonconforming students.
“I’m here tonight to say that there’s nothing in the Hebrew scriptures or nothing in the Christian scriptures that would in any way shape or form keep transgender and gender nonconforming people from full participation full acceptance and full protection in any community,” Koebel said.
Board member Dennis Valenti said laws like Title IX and courts like the Supreme Court and the Sixth Circuit Court already have ruled to prohibit discrimination based on sex stereotyping and gender nonconformity and that the policy would be reflective of those rulings.
“People may be surprised by it, but this policy is in conformance with that,” he said. “I think a lot of people might not understand that.”
The proposed policy, in the works since April, provides guidance and professional development for teachers and staff, as well as for the safety and wellbeing of students, both physically and emotionally, Board Vice President Michael McVey said.
It addresses everything from access to gender-segregated activities and facilities to bullying, harassment and discrimination. It also provides guidance on student pronouns, gender transitions and participation in physical education classes and athletics.
“It’s not only gender affirming, but it’s humanity affirming,” McVey said. “I wish that any policy could be so powerful as to erase fear and concern and bullying just like that, but that’s not the case. I do have to say that this policy does go some distance toward making it happen.”
With respect to use of restrooms, locker rooms and changing facilities, the proposed policy states students should have access to facilities that correspond to their gender identity. Schools may maintain separate restrooms, locker rooms or changing facilities for male and female students, provided they allow all students equal access to facilities that are consistent with their gender identity.
Students, including nonbinary students, should determine which facilities are consistent with their gender identity, the policy states. Any student who is uncomfortable using a shared gender-segregated facility, regardless of the reason, should be provided with a safe and non-stigmatizing alternative at their request.
The policy also states students should be permitted to participate in physical education classes and intramural sports in a manner consistent with their gender identity. And all students should be permitted to participate in interscholastic athletics in a manner consistent with their gender identity, subject to the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s constitution and guidelines.
As a general matter, schools should evaluate all gender-based activities, rules, policies, and practices - including classroom activities, school ceremonies and school photos - and maintain only those that serve an important educational purpose, the policy states.
The policy also states students should be permitted to participate in any gender-based activities or conform to any gender-based rule, policy or practice consistent with their gender identity.
Other highlights of the proposed policy include:
- Schools may enforce dress codes pursuant to district policy, but dress codes may not be based on gender. Students would have the right to dress in accordance with their gender identity, including maintaining a gender-neutral appearance, within the constraints of the dress codes adopted by the school.
- Schools should accept the gender identity that each student asserts. There is no medical or mental health diagnosis or treatment threshold that students must meet in order to have their gender identity recognized and respected.
- Students ready to socially transition may initiate a process to change their name, pronoun, attire, and access to preferred programs, activities and facilities consistent with their gender identity.
- Every student has the right to be addressed by a name and pronouns that correspond to the student’s gender identity. Regardless of whether a transgender or gender nonconforming student has legally changed their name or gender, schools will allow the student to use a chosen name and gender pronouns that reflect their identity.
- The district would comply with requests from students who are transgender, to amend their secondary educational records, including diplomas and transcripts after graduation, to ensure that those requesting records will only see the name and gender marker corresponding to the student’s gender identity, including requests from former students.
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