Guidance for RI Schools on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students, ride.ri.gov
Guide for Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth Guide, trevorprogect.org
The Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education's Guidance for Rhode Island Schools on Transgender and Gender
Nonconforming Students is a guide to the commitment of Rhode Island state and
Federal lawmakers to Rhode Island youth, ensuring a safe and supportive
learning environment for all Rhode Island youth. "Protecting Student Rights,
promoting student safety, supporting Mental Health, creating inclusive school
cultures, and improving educational outcomes", are the focus of the guide. The
guidance helps schools comply with laws, ensuring transgender and gender
nonconforming students are not mistreated due to their identity. It also enables
teachers and school staff to understand how to support students with diverse
identities, resulting in more inclusive learning environments. When students
feel safe and accepted, they are more likely to attend school and participate
in class. The law guidance, along with the Trevor Project article,
also covered terminology that we need to learn and store in our files to
address students in the way they prefer to be addressed. Using the correct
pronouns to address a youth is a step toward becoming an ally to transgender
and gender nonconforming youth.
Argument: As a starting point,
if people addressed students with the correct pronouns, it would make for a
more inclusive environment.
Tracy I totally agree with your argument about taking the time and space to consider our students to honor their identities. Students typically spend the majority of their time in a school setting. We should be sure to provide them with an environment where they feel accepted and included.
ReplyDeleteI wonder about how you can use this information with the littlest ones in the preschool program...
ReplyDelete