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State Education Department Releases Framework for Safe, Supportive, and Affirming School Environments for Transgender and Gender Expansive Students
The 正澳门六合彩记录资料 today released a framework and legal update to support schools in fostering an educational environment that is safe, supportive, and affirming for transgender and gender expansive (TGE) students, Commissioner Betty A. Rosa announced. The framework provides legal updates and best practices to facilitate compliance with state and federal laws concerning bullying, harassment, discrimination, and student privacy. The update also reflects outreach to include the voices and experiences of transgender and gender expansive students in New York schools.
Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said, 鈥淎ll students need a safe and supportive school environment to progress academically and developmentally. By adopting the strategies outlined in this framework, schools will be better positioned to foster a more equitable education experience that offers a level playing field that allows every student, including our transgender and gender expansive students, to have a fair chance to succeed.鈥
Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said, 鈥淪afe and supportive schools play a vital role in creating an inclusive and nurturing environment where transgender and gender expansive students can thrive academically, emotionally, and socially. This update was thoughtfully crafted and is the culmination of a robust stakeholder input process to ensure our schools not only promote the well-being and social emotional health of transgender and gender expansive students, but also foster a sense of respect and acceptance that allows them to fully engage in their educational pursuits and be successful both academically and in life.鈥
Building on our this update will help public school administrators continue to take proactive steps to create a culture in which TGE, nonbinary, and intersex students feel safe, supported, and included. The framework outlines best practices to assist public schools in implementing sustainable practices to ensure all students are free from discrimination regardless of sex, gender identity, or expression.
To ensure stakeholder input was considered and embedded throughout the update, the Department convened an advisory group. The advisory group was comprised of over 30 stakeholders from across the state and included representatives from New York State community agencies, advocacy and legal entities, school and community-based professionals, and 正澳门六合彩记录资料 counsel and Office of Student Support Services staff. New to the update are the voices and experiences of NYS transgender and gender expansive students.
- Reflect changes in New York State Human Rights Law and federal law which provide enhanced protections to transgender and gender expansive students;
- Provide current national and New York State data on the experiences of transgender and gender expansive students;
- Clarify information regarding student privacy, the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and student records;
- Provide best practices for supporting transgender and gender expansive students and recommended best practices to move away from gender-based activities;
- Offer updated and expanded resources for schools; and
- Include student voices and their lived experiences.
A full version of the framework and legal update is available on the Department鈥檚 Office of Student Support Services .
鈥淎ll children should feel safe, accepted and supported in school,鈥 said New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. 鈥淪adly, many transgender and gender expansive students suffer in silence from bullying, harassment and discrimination. The State Education Department has made progress on implementing the Dignity for All Student Act and acting on our audit recommendations. This new information is another important step towards creating a more inviting and accepting environment for all students. When students feel seen, understood and respected, they can focus on their schoolwork and be successful in the classroom. My thanks to Commissioner Rosa for her leadership on this issue.鈥
鈥淎s a pediatrician, I know first-hand how important it is to cultivate an educational environment that supports our youth and affirms their identity, setting them on a path to success that will reach all aspects of their lives, including their social, emotional, and physical health,鈥 Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. 鈥淓very child deserves to be seen and every child deserves to be respected and valued for exactly who they are. I commend 正澳门六合彩记录资料 and Commissioner Rosa for establishing this framework and creating a culture where all young people can thrive.鈥
鈥淭ransgender and nonbinary students deserve the same opportunities to feel safe, supported, and included at school as their peers,鈥 said Gabby Doyle (she/her), Advocacy Campaign Manager at The Trevor Project. 鈥淭he Trevor Project鈥檚 research found that of LGBTQ young people in New York said that their school was an LGBTQ-affirming space, and this legal update and best practices will equip educators with the tools they need to see that number increase. We applaud 正澳门六合彩记录资料鈥檚 work to ensure that young trans and nonbinary New Yorkers are able to learn and thrive as their most authentic selves.鈥
鈥淭ransgender, gender nonconforming, non-binary, and intersex students should be safe and supported in the classroom,鈥 said Allie Bohm, Policy Counsel at the New York Civil Liberties Union. 鈥淲hile state law has long prohibited discrimination, bullying, and harassment in schools, today鈥檚 legal update and best practices provide a new, tangible framework to support TGNCNBI students鈥攕o they can focus on learning, friendships, and developing their passions. As attacks on TGNCNBI youth surge nationwide, we applaud 正澳门六合彩记录资料 for sending a clear message that New York schools should be safe spaces for young people as they go along their journey.鈥
鈥淲e know that creating safe spaces with supportive environments improves both the physical and mental health of gender diverse adolescents,鈥 said David Rosenthal, DO, PhD, Founding Medical Director, Center for Transgender Care, Northwell Health. 鈥淎dditionally, transgender and gender expensive students have high rates of suicide and frequently struggle with both mental and physical health.听This document incorporates best practices for making our schools safe spaces for transgender and gender expansive students.听In addition, this allows students to be their authentic selves by thriving in a safe, welcoming, affirming learning environment which incorporates a 鈥榳hole child approach,鈥 which will lead both to improved student success and health.鈥
鈥淣YASP is proud to endorse 正澳门六合彩记录资料's 鈥楥reating a Safe, Supportive and Affirming School Environment for Transgender and Gender Expansive Students: Legal Update and Best Practices 2023,鈥 as it provides up to date evidence about gender identity, the role of school climate in supporting transgender and gender expansive students and their families, and research-based recommendations for educational professionals to follow,鈥澨齭aid Christopher Van Houten, M.A./CAS NYASP President.
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