Superintendent Andrew tells Florida Board of Education that District has adopted new restroom/locker room procedure

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Superintendent Shane Andrew attended a conference call of the Florida Board of Education on Wednesday to answer questions about the District’s LGBTQ+ Critical Support Guide, which he said is no longer being used by the District.

The agenda item on the meeting provided an opportunity for Chancellor Manny Diaz, Jr., to update the Board on the 10 school districts with policies and procedures that were potentially out of compliance with Florida’s Parental Rights in Education laws; all of the districts told the Board that they had either changed those policies or were in the process of changing them.

As Alachua Chronicle previously reported, Alachua County was on the list because its LGBTQ+ Critical Support Guide had elements that violated the law, particularly regarding notification of parents about accommodations schools may make for students who identify as a different gender from their biological sex at birth.

During the call, Andrew said the Guide has been removed from use and replaced with Procedure 5865, which took effect on November 22. That Administrative Procedure, which may be read in full here, states that the School Board separates bathrooms, locker rooms, and dressing rooms on the basis of biological sex at birth.

The procedure states, “Parents of minor students will be notified before any school in the District permits a minor student to use a multi-user bathroom, locker room, or dressing room that is different from the student’s biological sex at birth or that differs from the student’s biological sex as recorded in the student’s enrollment information.”

The procedure provides for accommodations that may include access to a single-stall bathroom, the school clinic bathroom, or “other accommodations as identified” for students who do not wish to use facilities designated for their biological gender at birth.

Andrew also told the Board of Education that the District is “working on a new Guide at this time, but of course, we would collaborate with the Florida Department of Education prior to any implementation of a new Guide because we want to ensure that we’re in compliance with all state laws and State Board of Education rules.”

He further added, “And you are correct, that was a Guide; it wasn’t taken to the board for approval by the school board.” It is true that the school board never voted on the Guide, but it was presented to the school board in a workshop on December 8, 2021. Although no vote was taken, the school board discussed the Guide; former Chair Rob Hyatt was strongly in favor of it, but former Member Mildred Russell questioned several provisions in the Guide.