Newly-approved guidelines in Minnesota direct K-12 public school officials to “segregate” students uncomfortable with using transgender bathrooms and locker rooms, all in the name of inclusivity, of course.
With the approval of a new gender toolkit from a Minnesota Department of Education advisory council on Wednesday, all publicly-funded schools (including charter schools) within the state now have detailed instructions addressing the inclusion and protection of “gender nonconforming” and trans students.
But not all students are being protected: school officials are also told to “segregate” any student hesitant about the new trans rules, which would potentially include female students changing side-by-side with male students in a locker room (emphasis added):
“Schools should work with transgender and gender nonconforming students to ensure that they are able to access needed facilities in a manner that is safe, consistent with their gender identity and does not stigmatize them,” says the toolkit. “Privacy objections raised by a student in interacting with a transgender or gender nonconforming student may be addressed by segregating the student raising the objection provided that the action of the school officials does not result in stigmatizing the transgender and gender nonconforming student.”
Moreover, teachers are told they must use the preferred pronouns and names of gender confused students, even absent a medical confirmation of a transition.
Trans and “gender nonconforming” students can “choose the pronouns staff must use when addressing them, and does not require a medial ‘transition’ before students are to be treated as the gender of their choice,” notes The Blaze. “Teachers are warned they could violate federal law if they use the ‘incorrect pronoun or incorrect name’ of a transgender student.”
The toolkit states: “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of students. Schools should note that neither a student’s gender nor pronouns are considered public or directory information. Casual use of a student’s incorrect pronoun or incorrect name may violate FERPA.”
Students who don’t identify as their biological gender can also have exceptions made to the school dress code and “school traditions” altered if desired.
“In an effort for inclusivity, schools may wish to consider revisiting existing traditions or establishing new traditions,” reads the new toolkit. “For example, instead of electing a homecoming king and homecoming queen, some schools have chosen to nominate ‘prom ambassadors,’ ‘homecoming court’ or ‘homecoming royalty.’ At the University of Minnesota, for example, the titles of homecoming king and queen have been replaced with the title ‘Homecoming Royalty’ and students selected as royalty will now be called ‘royals.’”
As noted by The Blaze, “the toolkit is nonbinding and could be edited in the future, according to Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius.”
There are no measures within the literature which act to ensure all students who claim to be trans or “gender nonconforming” are actually suffering from gender confusion.