South Burlington School District discusses proposed transgender and nonbinary policy
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - The South Burlington School District discussed a proposed new transgender and nonbinary student policy at their meeting on Wednesday night.
The proposed policy was brought forth by the school district’s director of diversity and inclusion, Monica Desrochers. It states that the school will use the name and gender consistent with the student’s gender identity unless legally required otherwise. It also states that the district will direct staff to respect a change in a student’s gender, pronoun and/or name.
Students would also be allowed to use a locker room or restroom that aligns with their gender identity, and students who desire privacy will be given alternative arrangements. The same goes for sports teams. Students can play on the team that aligns with their gender identity.
A number of South Burlington students advocated for the plan at the meeting.
“I see this process as a way we are personalizing this, and making it a way to be impactful to our students. Much of the language and the structure has received stakeholder impact and was built at the state level,” said Desrochers.
The proposed plan also says LGBTQ+ inclusive content will be included throughout the pre-K through 12th-grade curriculum and instruction.
Wednesday was the first of three readings before a vote on adopting the policy.
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