Those promises came after the school division garnered national attention when a transgender student wasn’t allowed to use either the boys or girls locker room during an active shooter safety drill.
At the School Board meeting on Oct. 9, 2018, a week after the transgender lockerroom incident occurred, Board members promised their constituents that they would address what happened.
- “We will move forward with this issue,” said Dwayne McOsker, George Washington District Supervisor.
- “The time to have these conversations isn’t now, it wasn’t last year, it was a long time ago,” said Jamie Decatur, Griffis-Widewater District Supervisor.
- “I believe we need to move forward with this,” said Holly Hazard, Hartwood District Supervisor.
- “It is a matter of policy, and it’s time to come back,” said Patricia Healy, Rock Hill District Supervisor.
Superintendent Scott Kizner, too, promised to review the issue and work with the Stafford LGBT+ community and parent advisory committees to draft a new policy.
He carried out his promise and released a proposed Gender Identity and Expression Policy that would allow students to use the bathroom of their gender identity. It also allowed transgender students to room with those of the same gender identity on overnight trips.
For Kizner’s proposal, however, it would be nearly a year of delays and inaction on the policy.
The one-year anniversary of this incident is drawing near, and on September 10, the School Board is set to finally take a vote on changes to its anti-discrimination policy that affect all students and staff.
Potomac Local will continue our series on Stafford Schools’ proposed Transgender policy with two new posts:
- Monday, August 9: How Stafford’s Transgender policy took a back seat to budget, elementary school redistricting
- Tuesday, August 10: Stafford Transgender policy: ‘If it is voted down, we can move on’
