“Confusion, fear, and frustration”: School board and public ask for clarity on LGBTQ+ issues in schools

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At tonight’s Alachua County School Board meeting, staff members reassured school board members and the public that their concerns about the implementation of new laws are being heard.

The meeting included an agenda item for an updated LGBTQ+ Guide, but the updated Guide was not available in time for the meeting, and Chief of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Outreach Dr. Anntwanique Edwards declined to present anything on the agenda item, which had been requested by Member Sarah Rockwell, so the public spoke first.

Seventeen members of the public spoke, and all of them urged the board to prioritize the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ students. 

“We’ve seen how this has led to confusion, fear, and frustration”

After public comment, Rockwell said the training that has been provided to administrators and staff on this topic was not adequate: “It left people feeling confused and frustrated… We’ve seen how this has led to confusion, fear, and frustration from parents, students, faculty, and staff… Families of LGBTQ students need to know the process by which they can direct their children’s education per the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which protects their rights, as well… Students need to know where they can safely and legally use restroom facilities on our campuses. Our school counselors, school psychologists, nurses, social workers, and teachers need to know what topics they can discuss with students, what services they can provide, and how they can clearly document when they think sharing information with a parent may put a child at risk.” She said she was led to believe that an updated LGBTQ+ Guide would be available for this meeting.

Superintendent Shane Andrew said he did not recall any discussion about the Guide being available for this meeting, and another staff member concurred. 

Rockwell said she was asking for “an updated Guide that documents how GSAs [Gay Straight Alliance clubs] can be formed, how our employees can document their concerns of possible abuse, neglect, or abandonment were they to share certain information with parents. A process by which parents can request affirming pronouns for their child to be used by willing employees, just like we have a process in place for families to request nicknames. An explanation for staff members of what is and isn’t considered classroom instruction, including specific allowance that they can have family pictures and they can mention their families. A plan to expand access to single-use restrooms for students, without them needing a key or special permission, and how those restrooms will be marked on our school map so that students can easily find them. I am requesting that this be prepared for us as soon as possible, hopefully by the next board meeting.”

Andrew agreed to have the Guide ready for the September 5 School Board meeting, and Rockwell asked that it be attached to the agenda a week before that meeting.

“Nobody’s trying to circumvent anything”

Member Diyonne McGraw said, “As a board, it is our responsibility to foster a sense of belonging. And I will tell you that this is a statute that has come down from Tallahassee… This is not a political issue. This board is committed to all students.” She said Pinellas County’s Guide “is a good act to follow… In that Guide, we need to have a link where students can know who to go to in the school. We now have 22 social workers in our schools, we now have family liaisons, and we want our students to be able to go to someone in our schools, and we are committed to that.”

McGraw added, “I wanted to assure you, as a board member, nobody’s trying to circumvent anything. This is not political. This board is committed to making sure every single child that walks through–I’m not up here to play games. I’m up here to make sure all children are okay.” She emphasized that this is a legal issue that will require interpretation by attorneys. 

Chair Tina Certain said, “As elected school board members, we have to follow these rules… And this one [is] really, really tough for me… And so I ask that you bear with us, have some patience.”

“Currently, the state of this law is in flux”

Board Attorney David Delaney said he takes his obligation to keep students safe very seriously and that the community has brought “a lot of energy and fire and passion…to the board, which legally has very limited options in carrying out the law that we would prefer to see be as affirming as possible to all of our students. Currently, the state of this law is in flux.” 

Delaney said that the administrative rule implementing the statute has an effective date next week, so he needs to “go through that and understand what the implications of it are.” He said only six counties have updated their Guides at this point.

Member Kay Abbitt said that while the district is in the middle of rezoning and updating its Strategic Plan, “Here comes all the stuff from Tallahassee… I agree with Mrs. McGraw that I think we do need legal advice on that because what we need is someone who knows the law well enough to be able to go in there and take the most liberal interpretation of that law that they can for us to use to set up that Guide.” 

“We are all in this together”

Member Leanetta McNealy encouraged people to call or write the Department of Education: “I’m so disappointed in the folks that govern us, that make huge decisions for us… We are all in this together. We need you. We need your voices. We need your writing.  And we need it to be nonstop.” She advocated for more meetings so the community “can be unified.”

Andrew said the district has been “in open communication with Equality Florida” and that a new staff attorney will start on Monday, and “that should help us with what one board member mentioned as a liberal interpretation of what we can do to serve and meet the needs of all our students… So much is being thrown out there to cause division among us. Let’s not let that happen… In my beliefs, it’s all about love, peace, forgiveness, hope, harmony… So I’m optimistic… And I am sure that we’re going to continue in our schools, in our classrooms, in our guidance offices, in our Dean’s offices, across the district, to support our children.”

He concluded, “I want to assure everybody here this evening… that we strive to have inclusive schools, district-wide, that are focused on students’ needs, whatever they are, as they relate to supporting and educating all of our students and safe learning spaces. And we know it starts with safety.”

GSAs and family pictures have not been prohibited

Edwards said it’s important “for everyone to know how important it is for us to support the mental health and well-being of all of our children.” She said that student-led groups like GSAs “have continued in our school district… There has not been any direction through Alachua County Public School that GSAs cannot be a club.”

She said no direction from the district has been given to staff “that people could not have pictures [of their families] or post them… As we look at bathrooms, we know that we have a procedure in our district for bathrooms, but I also heard questions about use and accessibility.” She said the district is in the process of changing signage on single-stall bathrooms and that they are in the process of checking locks “and making sure that we can also ensure the safety of children” when they are using those bathrooms.

“Nobody here is trying to avoid the law or not follow the law”

Edwards added, “There are going to be a lot of legislative things that we have to follow. Nobody here is trying to avoid the law or not follow the law.” She said that guidance from various attorneys across the state has varied, and “it has made it very difficult for us as a staff to completely understand what it is that we should release to provide the clarity that is needed… because the interpretation of the law has not been exactly the same from every attorney… It has never been our intent to create confusion or to have people operating from fear.”

Speaking to the public, she said, “I’ve listened to your concerns, and I want you to know that the staff and the district hears you when you were talking about student safety, GSAs, affirmed names, AKAs, photos of families, what things can be posted within classrooms such as rainbow stickers, bathroom use and accessibility, the increase of single-stall restrooms,… Gmail names, mental health support… None of these things are going overlooked… It’s important for people to know that I expect for us to operate in a place where we are being equitable, inclusive, and engaging with our community in a way where they know that we hear you.”