‘Our kids,’ not ‘those kids’

In a strongly worded editorial published on FoxNews.com, Michael Allison, President of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, says, “Our greatest victory will be when we stop seeing those kids, and recognize they are all our kids.”

The editorial lays out research on trans students, the rights of trans students, and what school administrators need to do to ensure that all students – “and transgender students especially” – feel secure enough to learn at high levels.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NAASP) has adopted a position in support of the rights of transgender students and requesting the federal government to clarify the law.

The document lays out the issue:

“Unfortunately, a climate conducive to the educational success of transgender students remains elusive in many schools.”

It cites a GLSEN survey that “found that transgender students were more likely than any other students to have negative experiences at school and were more likely to have felt unsafe and to experience victimization based on their gender identity or expression.”

The position paper puts forward ‘Guiding Principles’ for administrators:

“The Professional Standards for Educational Leaders adopted in October 2015 state that effective educational leaders strive for equity of educational opportunity and culturally responsive practices to promote each student's academic success and well-being.

“Students should be able to enter school free of judgment from school officials and their peers. Therefore, the principal must provide an affirming school environment where each student is treated fairly, respectfully, and with an understanding of each student's culture and context.”

The document goes on to make recommendations for Federal and state policy makers, school district policy makers, and school leaders. The full document is available at www.nassp.org/who-we-are/board-of-directors/position-statements/transgender-students?SSO=true.

Allison’s editorial says, “The Obama administration’s recent guidance on the treatment of transgender students ignited a firestorm of response, tapping deep visceral feelings on both sides of the issue.

“But enter the school building, and you see there are no “sides.” Just kids.

“The public debate about whether to uphold the rights of transgender students rings hollow to school leaders, who commit to seeing each unique child and creating the school conditions in which each child can succeed. That commitment is not limited just to students who look or behave in ways our culture labels normal. It’s for all kids.”

The NASSP President also points out that many schools across the country have already pointed the way on how to serve trans students. He says, “Many schools across the country have already figured out ways to make this happen. In some cases, schools establish gender-neutral restrooms. In other cases, schools safeguard the privacy of all students by setting up curtained stalls available to all students in common facilities. Some buildings do not allow for easy solutions and require greater structural intervention.

“And in all but very few cases, the changes make no difference to the students in the school—not nearly the difference it seems to make in state legislatures.

“I am aware of not a single instance of harm to a student using a facility with a transgender classmate. If such an incident were to occur, principals would deal with it, not as a gender-identity issue, but as a discipline issue—as they would any misbehavior.”

He says, “Some states have gone to extraordinary efforts to “protect” students from a phantom threat.

“One North Carolina school district board went so far as to arm senior girls with pepper spray to protect themselves from transgender students in restrooms and locker rooms.

“As a school leader, I can attest that the potential for harm from hundreds of random pepper-spray canisters in a school is far greater than the “problem” it purports to solve.

“Such overreactions reveal a greater concern, however: They implicitly label transgender students as criminals. That label is inappropriate. That label is damaging. That label emerges from an irrational fear of the ‘other’ or the ‘not like us.’”

Allison concludes his powerful editorial by saying, “As a principal, my greatest fear is our collective failure to maximize the human potential of the students our policies push to the margins.

“The president’s guidance seeks to embrace these marginalized students, and I applaud him for that. But our greatest victory will be when stop seeing those kids and recognize they are all our kids.”

The Gayly – May 20, 2016 @ 7:50 a.m.