District 128 Board Member: "This Needs to be Done. We're Leading on This Instead of Walking Behind"

Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 will soon have guidelines of procedures to support and accommodate transgender and gender-expansive students.

The guidelines were organized by a task force of about 20 teachers, social workers, counselors and other members from other districts since last spring, according to the Daily Herald. The measures will cover several areas to support transgender and gender-expansive students as how they are referred to, dress and share private information.

"The guidelines help us ensure expectations and uniformity within the district. That ensures all kids are provided access, they're treated fairly and they're safe," said Superintendent Prentiss Lea in the story.

The Daily Herald reports:

The guidelines also allow for a voluntary and reviewable gender support plan to address the intentions of the student in areas such as name, disclosure of identity to teachers and other staffers, and access to restrooms, locker rooms and other gender-segregated facilities as needed. For sports, District 128 will abide by the Illinois High School Association's rules.
The guidelines require the district to provide access to an alternative gender-neutral facility, but no student will be required to use one because they are transgender or gender-expansive. Each of the two high schools will have at least one gender-neutral restroom open to all students, the guidelines say.

Transgender issues have been discussed at other suburban districts, most notably Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211, which gained national attention in the debate over transgender students' access to locker rooms and bathrooms. "This needs to be done. We're leading on this instead of walking behind," said board member Scott Luce.
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