Posted August 30, 2019 07:42:49It’s no secret that Calvert-Paulding County schools are having a hard time coping with a growing number of students with sexually-oriented preferences.
The school board approved a resolution Tuesday that requires students to be taught the proper values about sex and gender roles.
The resolution was voted on after several public comments, but school leaders say they are not sure how much more work they will need to do to make the change.
Calvert School District spokeswoman Erin Johnson said it’s too soon to know how much time the board will need.
“I’m not sure it’s going to be a major piece of time in terms of our time and energy,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the school district also has a similar rule in place for sex-education classes.
Students must be informed that there are a variety of ways to express their sexual preferences, and they must be taught how to respect the boundaries of sexual orientation and gender identity.
A majority of Calvert’s students identify as LGBT, but many students are not aware of the district’s policies on that topic, Johnson said, adding that students who are transgender or gender nonconforming can ask for a different curriculum.
School districts across the country have seen a surge in the number of transgender students in recent years, and a new law in California is expected to give them a greater role in their schools.
The new law, which was signed by Gov.
Gavin Newsom last month, requires transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity, gender expression and expression of sexual preference.
It also mandates that transgender students be allowed to use restrooms and locker room facilities in accordance with their biological sex.
The district is also developing a policy on how students should respond to incidents of sexual assault, including how to respond to students who identify as a gender different from the gender on their birth certificate.
Calverton School District spokesman Kevin Johnson said he expects that the new policy will be implemented this fall.
We’re definitely taking it to the next level and trying to develop a policy and a set of rules around that,” Johnson added.
The new policy is also expected to help to combat bullying, which has been a hot topic in recent weeks, with the district facing a wave of hate mail.
The district is currently conducting an investigation into a student who was accused of sexually assaulting a student in the ninth grade, Johnson noted.
On Tuesday, Calverts school board unanimously voted to remove a policy from its curriculum that states students must be aware of their sexual orientation in order to learn about gender identity and sexual expression.
The policy, which the board voted to take into effect, requires students in all classes to be aware that there is a wide variety of sexual preferences.
According to Calvert, the policy was introduced in response to complaints from students who felt that the district did not offer enough information on gender identity in their curriculum.
The law, however, states that students are allowed to discuss their sexual desires and desires in private and is intended to help students better understand their own personal beliefs.
Calvert has had a long history of fighting against sexual-discrimination in schools, but Johnson said that it was important for the board to take the lead in pushing the issue.
I think it’s important for our district to stand up for what we believe in, Johnson added, but also to have a conversation about what we’re going to do about it.
For Calvert students, this new law comes as a shock.
They were told that it would take a while to make changes to their classes and would be a while before they could take advantage of the new curriculum.
Johnson said there were also concerns about what would happen to students from other schools who were also involved in the class discussions.
When students started complaining about the lack of information about sexual orientation, they also asked for more information about how to be respectful to each other and to avoid bullying.
Johnson acknowledged that the change was going to take some time to get implemented.
But for students like Hannah Sturgis, the new education plan is a welcome change.
She said that she has always been a good student and always loved school.
Sturgis said she was excited to learn the new standards and was also thankful for the support from her parents, who had always been supportive of her.
Sturges said she feels comfortable with her gender identity at Calvert and is proud of her choice to live as the gender that she identifies with.
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