LEE COUNTY, Fla. — On Tuesday, the Lee County School Board went over documents for the first time pertaining to a new equity guide proposal that’s being enforced through HB 1557 – more commonly known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill.
One of the components of that guide is a gender support plan, which was a major part of the discussion.
School board members made clear that the equity guide is a document that could adjust to any new changes to state or federal law.
A gender support plan is a voluntary form that can be filled out by students and parents to receive accommodations and ensure that those students are referred to as their preferred pronouns.
Concerns discussed during the meeting included privacy issues and the making of a registry for transgender students.
“Because of the current state laws that are in a state in the state of Florida we are not requiring the student to out themselves on campus, they can certainly be themselves on campus. It’s simply when they need accommodations for the school to respond to that identity by providing some type of accommodation on campus that we would get involved,” explains Chuck Bradley, the Director of Positive Prevention with Lee County School District.
The school district says that they will be training administrators with this guide starting on Thursday, and that school equity coordinators will be receiving their training the week before school starts on August 10th.
