Pittsburgh’s school board unanimously approved a policy Wednesday that outlines the rights, protections and support schools will be required to provide for transgender students.
Board member Moira Kaleida said she had received 400 emails in favor and 20 emails against the policy. She added that the city is now “moving forward on the right side of law and history.”
Public School's Board Approves Transgender Bathroom Policy https://t.co/WnhvPIjtDu
— News & Talk WAOK (@WAOK) June 24, 2016
LGBTQ Nation reports:
The guidelines allow students to use bathrooms and participate in physical education classes and intramural sports that align with their gender identity. It also lets students be addressed by their preferred name and gender pronoun.
Under the policy, students may request alternative accommodations, including a private office restroom, curtain partition or a separate changing space if they feel uncomfortable. Each school will also form teams that will receive specialized training to serve as a “visible resource” for students who have questions
RELATED: Here is the Obama Administration’s Sweeping Transgender Guidance for Schools: READ IT
“Under no circumstance should any student be required to use sex-segregated facilities that are inconsistent with their gender identity,” according to the policy.
However, board member Cynthia Falls expressed concern that different points of view were not given enough consideration. She noted that “we need to do due diligence to people who have different viewpoints.”
Watch a recent school board meeting on the issue of transgender policy issues in Pittsburgh’s Pine-Richland School District below.
