State Education Dept. Seeks Public Comment on LGBT Guidance Statement

AJ TRAGER
LANSING – The Michigan Department of Education's Office of School Support Services is requesting public comment on the draft "Statement and Guidance on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments" for LGBT Students, which will be presented to the State Board of Education during a May 10 meeting.
The guidance was first announced at the 2016 Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Initiative Conference hosted at Oakland University by John Austin, president of the Michigan State Board of Education, and was further outlined in a Feb. 23 memo from the MDE to the State Board.
"Michigan needs to embrace all our young people and create environments in our schools and communities that helps them feel safe, welcomed and able to tune in and learn," Austin said Jan. 29. "Our educators are looking for guidance on the best practices and policies that can meet the needs of transgender students. I thank you for working with us at the state to provide this needed guidance."
The school experience is more difficult for students with marginalized identities. Despite widespread efforts, LGBT students continue to face challenges that threaten their health, safety and learning opportunities in Michigan schools. According to data from the 2015 Michigan Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students who identify as LGB are 2.3 times more likely to be threatened or injured with a weapon on school property than their non-LGB peers; forty-one percent of LGB students report being bullied on school property; and they are 4.5 times more likely to attempt suicide. And according to the GLSEN 2007 National School Climate Survey, 26 percent of trans students were physically assaulted in school in the past year due to their gender identity.
"Not all LGBTQ students are equally affected by these risk factors," the Feb. 23 memo reads. "LGBTQ students with intersecting, marginalized identities (e.g., black gay males, LGBTQ students with disabilities) are at greater risk of negative outcomes. The SBE recognizes the role that power, privilege, discrimination and oppression play in creating disparities that exist between LGBT students and their peers, and that only by addressing the underlying structural inequities will the existing disparities in academic achievement and health outcomes be eliminated."
The guidance recommendations include adopting policies that:
– protect LGBT students from harassment
– designate a staff member who can provide students with information or support related to LGBT issues
– call for students to be addressed by their chosen name and pronouns that "correspond with their gender identity"
– prohibit students from being forced to use locker and bathrooms incompatible with their gender identity
– provide support for the formation of Gay-Straight Alliances in middle and high schools.
Amending Elliott-Larsen, the state's civil rights act, would provide protections for LGBT Michigan residents. There have been many attempts over the past decade to amend the Michigan constitution to include protections for LGBT individuals; however, no bill has ever made it to the governor's desk.
Under state law, Michigan schools are required to implement model anti-bullying policies to protect the rights of LGBT students. The policies were promulgated by the SBE in 2003 but have since diminished unsafe learning environments for LGBT youth.
"The draft guidelines from the State Board of Education will promote an enriching educational experience that makes achievement much more possible for transgender students," Amy Hunter, coordinator of the ACLU Transgender Advocacy Project, said in a March 24 statement. "Studies show that the healthy expression of gender identity is an appropriate and typical aspect of human development and plays a crucial role in the ability of a young person to succeed both at school and in broader society. The State Board of Education draft policies identify resources and suggestions for supporting all students safety and well-being. Adoption of the SBE guidelines will lead to better education outcomes for all students and will assist in the healthy development of transgender students in particular."
Educators across the state have requested the LGBT guidance to help all students succeed. The guidance was developed by over 70 minds representing key education and health constituencies from Michigan and the nation's top education and mental health practitioners who are committed to the expertise and best practices for youth education.
MDE is requesting Michigan residents submit written comments to the guidance by April 11 so that they can be reviewed and considered in the final version of the document. Input may be submitted online at the public comment site http://www.everyvoicecountsmi.org or by going directly to the Public Comment on the State Board of Education Draft Statement and Guidance on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments for LGBTQ Students page.
Any written statements should be addressed to Kim Kovalchick at Michigan Department of Education, Coordinated School Health and Safety Programs unit, P.O. Box 30008 Lansing, MI 48909.
A full copy of the draft document is available here.
As of press time the guidance had received 2,617 public comments on the everyvoicecountsmi.org page.