The Mukilteo and Edmonds school districts are considering adopting an anti-discrimination policy for transgender students, dealing with issues such as dress codes, access to restrooms and locker rooms, and participation in sports.
Someone who is transgender has an internal sense of gender identity that does not correspond to their sex at birth.
Both school districts say they have some transgender students.
The Mukilteo School Board is scheduled to discuss adopting the policy during its meeting Monday, which begins at 6 p.m.
The proposed policy is aimed at making it easier for parents, teachers, staff members and students “to understand what the law says and what we need to do,” said Andy Muntz, a spokesman for the Mukilteo School District.
“It’s not blazing any new territory,” Muntz said. But with adoption of a policy, “it’s written down right there, here’s what you do.”
The Edmonds School Board is scheduled to discuss an identical transgender policy on Dec. 9.
Justin Irish, who oversees the department of diversity, equity and outreach for the Edmonds School District, said that in many cases students, staff and the community have rallied around transgender students to show support.
The district has a handful of transgender students, Irish said. Most of them are enrolled in high school and middle school, and one is enrolled in an elementary school.
In part, the policy under consideration in both Mukilteo and Edmonds says that transgender students should be allowed to use the restroom that corresponds to the gender identity they express at school. Transgender students can either use the locker room that corresponds to their gender identity, or the school can provide alternatives, such as a private changing area.
Transgender students would be allowed to dress in a manner consistent with their gender identity, within the constraints of school dress codes.
And a transgender student may seek review of his or her eligibility for participation in interscholastic athletics by working with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.
The proposed policies are based on a model recommended by the Washington State School Directors’ Association, which drew up a sample policy last year in collaboration with the state superintendent’s office.
Calandra Sechrist, director of equity and civil rights for the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, said she hasn’t heard of any concerns of fellow students over such issues.
“Typically what we have heard is that students are very supportive and it isn’t that big of a deal,” she said. She said she has heard from parents concerned that a boy might be saying he’s transgender so he can access the girls’ restroom. “In reality, we haven’t seen that,” Sechrist said.
If any problems arise with either locker rooms or restrooms, “the school district could discipline that student, as they would any other student,” she said.
A student often deals with gender identity issues at an earlier age than they do with sexual orientation, Sechrist said. “Young kids start identifying with gender at a pretty young age,” she said — in some cases as young as kindergarten.
“I think even a couple years ago, this seemed pretty new to school districts,” Sechrist said. But school districts have increasingly been dealing with it over the past couple of years, she said.
When school districts are unaware that they have transgender students, “this idea can be very new and intimidating for folks,” she said. It’s important for school districts to talk to the student and the parents about what steps to take to make the student feel safe, she said. That could be simply asking the student which restroom he or she would like to use, or whether an alternative restroom or changing area would be preferred, Sechrist said.
Washington has banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity since 2006. The state superintendent’s office is required to monitor districts for compliance.
Heidi Maynard, director of policy and legal services for the Washington State School Director’s Association, said about eight school districts statewide have adopted the transgender policy, including Shelton, Sequim and Washougal. A few others are considering it.
It’s an issue for school districts across the nation, she said. Districts that don’t have a policy could face litigation, Maynard said.
The Everett School District isn’t considering such a policy because it thinks existing anti-bullying and non-discrimination policies include protections for all, said Mary Waggoner, school district spokeswoman.
In Edmonds, the parent of a transgender student asked to meet with every parent in the student’s classroom, Irish said. In other cases, the family and child deal with the school privately.
“Some of these students are open and some are not,” Irish said. “We felt it was important for us to address this issue.”
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
Transgender policies to be considered
On Monday, the Mukilteo School Board will consider adopting a policy recommended by the Washington State School Directors Association which prohibits discrimination against transgender students. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the school district offices, 9401 Sharon Drive in Everett.
The Edmonds School Board is scheduled to discuss the issue at a Dec. 9 meeting.
Here is a summary of the proposed policies.
Definition: A transgender student is someone whose gender identity is different than what traditionally is associated with their gender at birth.
Official school records: The district should use the name and gender by which the student identifies.
Restrooms: Students will be allowed to use the restroom that corresponds to the gender identity they use at school.
Locker rooms: In most cases, the district should provide the student access to the locker room that corresponds to the gender identity they use at school. Reasonable alternatives include use of a private area such as a restroom stall with a door, an area separated by a curtain, an office in the locker room or a nearby health office restroom or a separate changing schedule, such as utilizing the locker room before or after the other students.
Sports: A student may seek review of his or her eligibility for participation in interscholastic athletics by working through the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s gender identity participation procedure.
Dress codes: Students will be allowed to dress in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, within the constraints of school dress codes.
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