Being one of the last school districts in B.C. to adopt a special policy for handling issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) has given the Richmond Board of Education the benefit of hindsight, according to chair Eric Yung.
Last Wednesday, the board approved a draft SOGI policy to send to the public for consultation.
“The policy is written in a neutral setting …where our focus is to maintain a welcoming and safe environment for all students,” said Yung, noting Richmond has looked to other districts and best practices (“SOGI 123,” developed by the Ministry of Education, the BC Teachers’ Federation and UBC’s Faculty of Education) to form its draft.
The policy — initially championed at the board level by trustee Sandra Nixon — largely aims to inform and educate staff, students and parents about the special circumstances and discrimination against LGBTQ students.
“I’m glad it’s been developed with all stakeholders at the table. We saw a lot of different perspectives,” said Nixon, policy committee chair.
The policy is expected to drill home a zero-tolerance attitude against such discrimination and bullying. It will also recognize ways for schools to be more accepting of such minority students.
Gone may be the days when a teacher addresses the class as a group of “boys and girls.”
Among some of the stated commitments, educators will strive “to change the notions of only two genders,” such as by: addressing the class in non-gender ways; seating students in non-gender groupings; and depicting a “range of gender presentations” in classroom displays.
The policy notes students “have the right to access washrooms, locker rooms and changing facilities that correspond to their gender identity regardless of their legal sex.”
As such, the district, where possible, is committed to renovating old schools to create single-use bathroom facilities.
Sports team participation is also addressed in the draft policy:
“All students have the right to participate in physical education classes, curricular and extra-curricular sports/activities in a manner that respects and embraces their gender identity. Activities will be designed to be as inclusive and gender-neutral as possible.”
Nixon said some matters and resolutions may be situation specific.
As well, support for “Gay Straight Alliances,” sometimes called Rainbow Clubs, is reaffirmed.
“This is about supporting the population as a whole. It doesn’t matter if there’s only a single student being disadvantaged,” said Yung.
The policy has been extremely controversial in Richmond, particularly amongst the socially conservative Chinese population. As such the district took the extraordinary step to translate the policy in Chinese. The policy is set for public input online (LetsTalkSD38.ca) and at open houses until June.
“My hope is we hear from as many Richmondites as possible,” said Nixon.
