Lee School Board approves Civil Rights and Equity Guide
The Lee County School board approved its new Civil Rights and Equity Guide during Tuesday’s meeting.
Board members Debbie Jordan and Cathleen Morgan voted against the measure.
“We are making sure we are taking care of each and every child and our teachers,” Jordan said. “This needs to stay a guide. I cannot vote on this.”
Interim Superintendent Dr. Ken Savage said the goa is to create a neutral environment for all students. District staff also recognizes that all employees have individual viewpoints and different ideas.
“For us, our priority is to serve our entire community. It is to try to allow the standards that we teach, our compulsory education services that we are obligated to provide, to find a way to do it in such a way that all of our students can come and learn, and that we aren’t adding to any type of divisiveness or anything along those lines knowing that many of these issues are very passionate. We value all students, and value our teachers and individual viewpoints,” Savage said.
The district tries to create, as a government employer, an opportunity for all students and families to feel comfortable sending their children to the schools each day and for employees to work in those environments while working on their core mission.
“With this Civil Rights and Equity Guide, you see our best attempt to try to stay in line with the laws of our land,” Savage said.
He would also encourage folks that anytime they have an issue from a policy standpoint that they are passed by a governmental entity which usually reflects the voters’ will.
“You continue to be active members of our democracy. Just recognize that is a critical way in voting different elective bodies, whether they are legislators or school board members, elective superintendents, any of the positions that you choose to vote for that those things are often reflective of the different policies and so forth that are set as government attempts to balance all those aspects,” Savage said.
The philosophy behind the guide is to ensure the district is communicating with students, teachers, and parents.
The updates to the guide included Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, and ADA updates.
As far as the Title VI updates — non-discrimination based on color, race, ethnicity, and national origin — there was an addition to the discipline section “discipline to the Title IV section as students are not disciplined based on their race, color, or national origin. The code of conduct is followed by discipline.”
The Title VII updates — non-discrimination in employment includes a complaint resolution process — includes additions for the classroom/office spaces and personal items.
The added verbiage includes “discussion or displays of controversial issues — topics on which opposing points of view have been promulgated by responsible opinion or likely to arouse both support and opposition in the community — should be in compliance with board policy 2240.”
The clarified wording — “e.g. a small family photo on your desk, coffee mug, figurines. All items must be in compliance with school board policies.”
The Title IX updates — non-discrimination based on sex — had an addition to the Hope Scholarship — “House Bill 1403 merged the Hope Scholarship Program with the Family Empowerment Scholarship for educational options and the Florida Tx Credit Families who previously benefited from the Hope Scholarship are encouraged to apply through FTC/FES-EO programs.”
There was also the removal of the reference to gender identity in sharing information, as well as added information regarding restrooms/locker rooms.
That addition states that “effective July 1, 2023, the Safety in Private Spaces Act introduces penalties for people using a public restroom, or changing facility, not aligned with their sex assigned at birth.”
Board Attorney Kathy Dupuy-Bruno said where they could, the placards have been changed to make the bathrooms unisex for single stalls.
Another addition dealt with discipline for students and employees — disciplinary action in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct is not based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender expression.
There was also an addition to the section that deals with names and pronouns. The added verbiage states that a “nickname/affirmed name may be used with the submission of a nickname/affirmed name form signed by a parent. Students who are 18 or older do not require a parent’s signature.”
School staff will be addressed by their legal name was also added as there is staff transitioning in the schools that are transgender. By law, they have to be referred to by their legal name in the school.
Other added verbiage includes “employees, contractors, or students cannot be required to refer to another person using that person’s preferred personal title or pronouns if such personal title or pronouns do not correspond to that person’s sex.”
Also, “employees and contractors are prohibited from providing students his or her preferred personal title or pronouns do not correspond to his or her sex. Further, employees and contractors are prohibited from asking students to provide their preferred personal title or pronouns.”
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