AB1266, nursing resources, and mileage allowances were the major topics at the Morongo Unified School District Board of Education meeting. Dan Stork reviews the presentations, pleas, and perturbations in two parts. Today, AB 1266…
Assistant Superintendent Doug Weller and John Dietrich, who advises the school district as legal counsel, gave a presentation on AB 1266, and fielded subsequent questions from the Board and the public. The points emphasized by Weller and Dietrich were:
• AB 1266 was intended to clarify an existing section of the California Educational Code, changing just 6 words.
• Nondiscrimination rules to protect transgender students have been a part of state and federal laws for many years, and failure to comply with them could be costly to school districts.
• Current practice in districts such as San Francisco and Los Angeles that have dealt with this issue of facility use for several years use emphasize that “nonconforming gender identification” should be “firmly held,” genuine, and documented.
• Day-by-day changes in gender identification, driven by whim or mischievous intent, just don’t happen, in practice.
• MUSD has formed a committee of teachers, administrators, and the District psychologist to discuss contingencies, and is open to community and staff input.
Questions and comments from the public focused on the lack of specific implementation procedures or decision criteria in the law, for transgender use of restroom and locker room facilities, and the unease that bad things could happen as a result. Dietrich acknowledged that there might be test cases in the future that will test the boundaries of the law from both sides of the issue. But he said that cases should be dealt with as they arise, on an individual basis. When asked specifically, what if there is an incident testing the law when the changed clause comes into effect after the first of the year, Weller said the school administration should be informed immediately.
MORONGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PART 1: AB 1266, ACCOMMODATIONS FOR TRANSGENDER STUDENTS
