Local Schools To Have Final Say On Proposed LGBTQ Safe School Guidelines

The Michigan Department of Education is encouraging residents to consider new guidelines being looked at that will, among other things, allow transgender students to choose which bathroom they use at school.

The guidelines outline policies for safe and supportive learning environments for LGBTQ students in schools in hopes that students who identify in this group will experience less harassment.

The document encourages schools to allow students to choose their own name and gender as listed on school records, choose the bathroom and locker room consistent with their gender identity, as well as participation in school athletics and other programs.

The suggested guidelines can be viewed here.

 

State Board of Education President John Austin says, “Those are issues we’re encouraging communities to work out with their schools, with their parents, with their kids, which they are doing around Michigan, to figure out what’s going to work best on a case by case basis with the individuals. And that’s all this guidance is saying, is it’s important to do that at the local level, it’s important to have parents and school personnel and students talk together and figure out what’s going to work for everybody and make everybody both safe and comfortable, but we have to embrace these kids as who they are.”

State Senator Tom Casperson says he finds it hard to believe that the board would draft a document that would change the public education system without informing the public first and asking for public consent.

“It’s real simple, I just hope that the parental involvement becomes a priority,” Casperson added, “and that protection of all the kids becomes a priority, and that we do reach out and offer some help to these young people that might be struggling, but we have to consider everybody in the equation we can’t just consider the one scenario that they’re talking about.”

Casperson says he will introduce a bill that would prohibit use of bathrooms and locker rooms to students of the opposite gender, but would allow transgender students to use a singe-use or staff facility.

A public comment period on the State Department of Education’s document is open until April 11th.

To participate in the online public comment click here.

The original story and video from ABC-10’s Sarah Mac can be viewed here.