This document is well-written and comprehensive, and I hope will support school divisions in developing policies that will protect transgender students. I have a few notes on specific sections below:
Bullying, Harassment, and Discrimination section
* Please clarify that abusive and discriminatory behaviors towards a student should be defined as unacceptable and reportable, whether it comes from other students, staff, faculty, or school division administration.
* Please require that policies and communications of the policy provide clear means of escalating reports of violations of the policy.
* Please require policies to cover events taking place on school grounds, during school field trips and events, and using school communications or tools, in addition to defining which parties are barred from discriminatory and abusive behaviors.
Student Privacy / Confidentiality section
* Please make it clearer that the decision about whether to disclose gender identity, gender transition, and gender status resides solely with the student (and not with faculty, staff or administration). I believe that's intended here, but it is unclear, and could allow room for unsupportive individuals to out other individuals.
* Please make clear that, while a student may request to transfer to a new school setting in order to ease gender transition, the school and the administration must not require it, and such an attempt to require or pressure a student to transfer would be deemed abusive.
Access to Activities and Facilities section
* Please broaden the definition of a "single-gender activity or program" to clarify whether schools may have non-competitive single-gender sports teams and competitive academic clubs, which are more common and complex example than single-gender chorus. Please clarify how school districts must support transgender students who wish to participate, when a gendered activity is deemed appropriate and allowable.
Thank you for this excellent work. May it help and support our children.