Safe, Equitable, Nurturing

Schools in Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools by Asaf Orr and Joel Baum
ACLU, Gender Spectrum, Human Rights Campaign Foundation, National Center for Lesbian Rights and National Education Association, August 3, 2015

As more and more students embrace a gender identity that may differ from their biological sex, schools must be prepared to align their practices in order to provide safe, equitable, and nurturing learning environments for these brave students. This useful guide not only covers the basic structures that help ensure an inclusive school community, but also it offers clear definitions of the terminology surrounding gender identity. As stated in the introduction, "This guide highlights best practices while offering strategies for building upon and aligning them with each school's culture." Topics such as student records, student information systems, names and pronouns, confidentiality, dress codes, facilities and approaches for working with unsupportive parents are addressed. Useful for parents, faculties, board members and administration, as well as for older students, the guide is clear, concise and practical. What's more, in the words of Superintendent Janice Adams, who wrote the introduction, the report helps us understand how to do this work as "advocates" rather than "activists" by focusing on "the needs of the transitioning child."