The Columbus City Schools Board of Education approved a policy that complies with a state law requiring parental notification for transgender students, but added a caveat that the board said will protect them in case of abuse or neglect.
The board vote on June 17 adopted a modified model policy that makes Columbus City Schools compliant with state House Bill 8, which proponents call the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” and includes a requirement that the district inform parents about any request by a student to identify as a gender that does not align with the student’s biological sex.
Board President Michael Cole said the board wants “to ensure that children have every bit of advocacy they need on our side, policy-wise and in terms of administrative guidelines to ensure that they’re protected.”
“Tonight was just another reassertion that we are committed to our students and our staff,” Cole said. “We are committed to the families of our Columbus City School District.”
The bulk of the policy is based off a model policy from the North East Ohio Learning Associates (NEOLA), but includes a preamble affirming that the district “is committed to ensuring that all of its students, including transgender and gender diverse students, are provided a safe, supportive, and equitable educational environment that is free from discrimination and harassment.” It also includes a provision requiring mandatory reporting to Child Protective Services if the student expresses concern about abuse.
Board member Sarah Ingles said in an interview that the policy the board adopted takes the concerns expressed to the board by the community into account while still remaining compliant with state law.
“We took that policy and listened to our community about what are their concerns and what do they want to hear,” Ingles said. “In coordination with our administration to make sure that the product that we put out is both legally compliant and is what is best for our students and our staff, and is responsive to our community.”
The board also passed a resolution suggested by member Brandon Simmons directing Superintendent Angela Chapman to inform students and families about what the policy will mean for them.
During the board meeting, a half-dozen people spoke up and asked the board to adopt another model policy that would provide an exemption from notifying parents if the student expresses fear of abuse or neglect.
Shelly Bell, a parent of a non-binary child, said that the “mandated outing” of students will lead to an increase in homelessness and places them in danger.
“Encouraging the outing of students without their permission strips them of agency, and can absolutely place them in immediate danger — that’s not protecting kids that’s endangering them,” Bell said.
Ada Hartley, with the Ohio Coalition to Protect Trans Lives, told The Dispatch after the vote that she was disappointed that the board did not adopt the group’s preferred model policy.
“I wish the policy included language to protect kids from abusive parents, but it lacks that language,” Hartley said.
The district has faced criticism from the LGBTQ community after it changed the names and genders of transgender and gender-variant students in March to their name and sex assigned at birth in district computer systems after the district dropped its transgender policy to comply with state law, The Dispatch previously reported.
CCS has also faced threats of legal action from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost if the board decided to defy state law over its transgender bathroom policy and continue to maintain its board policy that allowed transgender students to use the bathroom of the gender. The board ultimately voted in February to comply with state law.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus school board adopts amended policy for parental alert for transgender students
Reporting by Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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