Leon County School District pushes pause on LGBTQ+ guide, seeks community input
Leon County Schools will be asking for community input for its new LGBTQ+ guide and the Student and Parent Bill of Rights policy.
The two have been updated to reflect HB 1B, approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis after the Florida Legislature’s special session late last year.
The new law solidified the governor’s emergency order from earlier in the year that directed the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Department of Health to issue emergency rules to allow parents to make health care decisions for their children.
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"The Parents Bill of Rights and amending our LGBTQ+ guide go hand in hand to ensure that we are protecting our students and giving them the support they need at school while also ensuring the Parents' Bill of Rights is being followed to the letter to the law," said Superintendent Rocky Hanna.
The guide was originally set to go before the board for approval, but was delayed after school board member Alva Striplin expressed concern about the outcome of numerous bills about LGBTQ rights in this year's legislative session. One criticized by advocates as the "Don't Say Gay" bill would limit conversations about gender and sexuality in school.
LGBTQ guide
The district is asking parents, students and community members to consider joining a new advisory committee that will use the old LGBTQ+ guide, which was created in 2015, as a starting point.
"In 2015 we had no plan. A transitioning kid would have gotten vastly different responses from different schools. Now we have some consistency because of the guide, such as it is," said Chris Sands of PFLAG Tallahassee, an organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, their families and allies.
"I think we got it about 80% right (in 2015), and it's a good first draft, but we need the people most affected by it to be involved in the rest of the process."
The LGBTQ+ guide came under fire after parents of a Leon County Schools' student sued the district for allegedly violating their rights because its LGBTQ policies excluded parents from conversations about their children's gender identity.
Background: Lawsuit against Leon Schools says district excluded parents from gender discussions
More: Tallahassee receives 100 score for LGBTQ+ inclusiveness in 2021 Human Rights Campaign report
The lawsuit, filed by The Child & Parental Rights Campaign in federal court, alleges the district's LGBTQ+ guide allowed administrators to speak to the couple’s child about gender identity without their consent, which violated DeSantis' Parents' Bill of Rights.
In meetings past, frustrated parents have argued that the district was implementing an LGBTQ+ policy, rather than a guide, and spearheading transition plans for students.
During public comment at a school board agenda meeting on Monday, Nathan Newell said the district should stick to teaching children, not creating safe spaces.
“My kids don’t care if someone is gay, they don’t give a darn," Newell said. "But they (LGBTQ community) want more rights than anybody else.”
At that meeting, Striplin argued that guidance counselors are better suited to handle these situations than teachers.
“We aim to serve a variety of parents and a variety of desires, wishes and opinions in the community, and we’re not doing that in this guide," Striplin said. "We’re going against a specific group of parents who disagree with this wholeheartedly.
Hanna and other district representatives have vehemently denied the allegations that the district is teaching students about gender identity.
“That’s not the purpose of our schools. Our job is to respond when kids need help," Hanna said at a school board agenda meeting Monday. “It just kills me how divisive this has been in our community, and we are just trying to protect kids.”
Sharyn Kerwin, who leads the Tallahassee chapter of Moms for Liberty, said she appreciates the transparency from the district.
"I'm very pleased and I'm so grateful they're putting together a committee with a variety of viewpoints that will respect parental rights under Florida law," Kerwin said to the Democrat.
"I think it's important that parents are in the conversation."
Student and Parent Bill of Rights
The district approved a motion to advertise a public hearing to discuss the changes to the Student and Parent Bill of Rights on Feb. 22.
The revisions to the policy were added to include statutory language outlined in the Parents' Bill of Rights as well as other laws throughout the Florida Education Code related to parents rights, according to the school board agenda.
Neola, an educational policy development and consulting group, provided the district with a draft of the new policy. The district has had a contract with Neola , who works with school districts across the country, since 2012 to help craft language around new legislation and the creation of new school board policies.
More: Corcoran: Leon County school district now in compliance after superintendent eased mask rule
The only revision the district did not keep in the draft is a section on corporal punishment, said Chris Petley, a spokesperson for the district.
"Parents should absolutely be involved in the education of their child," Hanna said. "However, the school also has to have rights in regards to acting in the place of parents while students are in custody. Our job is to teach the core standards set by the Florida Department of Education. It is not our job to influence students when it comes to religion or political affiliation or gender. It's our job to teach students and involve parents in those conversations every step of the way."
Contact Ana Goñi-Lessan at AGoniLessan@tallahassee.com and follow her on Twitter @goni_lessan.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon County Schools needs input for LGBTQ guide, Parent Bill of Rights
