Schools revising student support guides

Ten school districts whose LGBTQ support guides and other policies were called into question by the state Board of Education are in various stages of revising the documents, or in some cases have dropped the disputed guides, according to responses the board discussed Wednesday.
State officials are scrutinizing the districts’ guides to ensure that they comply with a 2021 law known as the “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” which deals with what families are entitled to know about their children’s education and health care.
The review of the guides also addresses a state Board of Education rule guiding bathroom and locker-room access as well as a controversial new law formally titled “Parental Rights in Education.”
The law, passed by the Legislature this year, requires that parents be notified of any “change in the student’s services or monitoring related to the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being and the school’s ability to provide a safe and supportive learning environment” for the student.
Critics of the law have focused on a provision in the law that prohibits classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity for early grades, disparagingly dubbing it the “don’t say gay” measure.
Jacob Oliva, a senior chancellor with the state Department of Education, wrote to the districts in November raising concerns about a range of issues that he said may not comply with the laws and the regulation. Oliva’s action came three months after Education state Education Commissioner Manny Diaz authorized a statewide review of school districts’ guides.
During a conference call held by the Board of Education Wednesday, Oliva gave members an update on changes being made by the districts.
“We sent 10 school districts a letter where we identified language from the policies and the documents and procedures that we received, kind of highlighting some of this language saying, ‘you may want to consider reviewing your current district policies … to just make sure that they are up to date and in accordance’” with state law and state board rules, Oliva said.
Leon County school officials, for example, are in the process of revising guidelines called the “Inclusive School Guide for LCS Employees,” and are poised to adopt new procedures related to issues such as transgender students’ participation in sports.
Oliva questioned the Leon County district’s reliance on part of the Florida High School Athletic Association’s bylaws related to “gender identity participation” in sports.
“All eligible students should have the opportunity to participate in interscholastic athletics in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity and expression, irrespective of the gender listed on a student’s birth certificate and/or records,” the FHSAA policy said.
The district now is proposing to drop the FHSAA policy from the guide and adopt language from a state law known as the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” which requires that athletic “teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to students of the male sex.”
The Leon County school board will consider the changes on Jan. 24, according to a letter school district attorney William Spillias sent to state education officials in response to questions from Oliva.
Leon County Superintendent of Schools Rocky Hanna briefly addressed the state board during its conference call Wednesday.
“We are trying our best to work with you all to get guidance on how we can ensure that we are abiding by the Parental Bill of Rights while also abiding by student privacy rights,” Hanna said.