Michigan Resolution Regarding the State Board of Education and LGBTQ Students (HR 264)

HR 264 would urge the State Board of Education to reject the recently proposed Statement and Guidance on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students.

The proposed statement recommends goals and guidelines to better protect LGBTQ students and encourages districts to (among others):

• Adopt anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies;
• Support extracurricular student-led clubs, such as Gay-Straight Alliances or Gender and Sexuality Alliances; and
• Provide developmentally-appropriate information about LGBTQ issues in school libraries and in student and faculty resource centers.

The proposed statement also provides guidance to support transgender and gender nonconforming students. Such guidelines include, but are not limited to:

• Using the correct names and pronouns;
• Making an effort to change student records to reflect the appropriate gender identity markers;
• Confidentiality regarding disclosures; and
• Student access to restrooms and locker rooms in accordance with their gender identity.

This resolution argues against the proposal, in part, because it “directs schools to allow children, without parental knowledge or consent, to identify with a gender other than that which is recognized by their parents” and it “directs school staff to address and treat students by the name and gender they choose, while recommending a confidentiality policy that directs schools to purposefully deceive parents.”

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People