East Lansing speaks out in support of state LGBTQ student guidelines

The East Lansing Board of Education Monday unanimously approved sending a letter to the State Board of Education supporting its proposed guidelines for protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning students (LGBTQ).

The State Board issued its “Statement and Guidance on Safe and Supportive Environments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students” in February. They are currently accepting public comments and expect to vote on the guidelines May 10. The full document can be read here.

The guidelines include:

• Adopting inclusive school policies
• Providing professional development for staff on LGBTQ issues
• Supporting extracurricular clubs such as Gay-Straight Alliances
• Providing family engagement and support including counseling and mental health professionals.
• Encouraging respect across the curriculum
• Providing information in school libraries on LGBTQ books and media
• Collecting and reviewing data on bullying, violence, substance use, homelessness and risk behaviors for LGBTQ students.

The State Board also recommends that schools:

• Use the names and pronouns chosen by the student regardless of their legal names, including on unofficial school records such as yearbooks and newspapers.
• Allow students to use the restroom that matches their gender identity. They should also provide alternative and non-stigmatizing gender neutral restrooms for all students who request them.
• Not require students to use locker rooms incongruent with their gender identify.
• Allow students to participate in sports according to their gender identify.
• Allow students to express their gender identity through clothing.

In the letter written by East Lansing Board of Education President Nell Kuhnmuench, the Board states that the state guidelines “not only recognizes the difficulties many of our more marginalized students face, it also offers many suggestions to public school districts for providing a safe, inclusive and supportive learning environment in our public schools, places of learning that welcome every child. The East Lansing Board of Education supports the statement and guidance you have provided on this important issue.”

The letter also points out that East Lansing was the first in the nation to ban discrimination in hiring practices on the basis of sexual orientation, in 1972.

The motion to send the letter passed unanimously but not without controversy.

Three parents spoke against the guidelines during the public comment portion of the meeting. Stephanie Lampi expressed concerns that allowing students of the opposite gender to share bathrooms would “force students into vulnerable situations in secluded bathrooms or locker rooms.”

“My husband and I work and coach in the schools. We ask the Board to slow down and analyze this and consider alternatives before changing policy,” Lampi said.

Trustees in response stressed that there is currently no motion to change policy in East Lansing schools, that these were only suggested guidelines and any policy changes would come through the Board’s policy committee and to the full Board before implementation.

Parent Larry Hogue spoke in favor of the state guidelines and thanked the Board for writing the letter in support.

“If there is talk of moving forward with the guidelines here, you have one vote in support from me,” he said.