26 November 2016

Time To Identify LGBT Students in Texas

LGBT Students
Currently, there are about 39 percent of LGBT Americans that were rejected by a family member or friend due to their gender identity or sexual orientation, a third of Americans think being transgender is wrong, and 41 percent say they would be upset if their child were transgender.

Those are pretty big numbers, why why it is s understandable and it makes sense why Texas Sen. Konni Burton filed a bill that will force out LGBT kids.

Last April, a school district in Forth Worth issued guidelines stating that transgender students had the right to keep their gender identity private from their parents, even if they were to disclose it to someone at school. These rules were revised in July to involve parents unless doing so posed a risk to the child.

A few days ago, in order to ensure that a policy like Forth Worth's original one can't fly again, Burton introduced Senate Bill 242, which says public schools must notify parents of "any general knowledge regarding the parent's child possessed by an employee of the district" and provide them with records "relating to the child’s general physical, psychological or emotional well-being."

Though this wording is general, Burton is specifically addressing transgender students.

"Earlier this year, Fort Worth ISD issued new guidelines for transgender students. If you recall, the guidelines made it acceptable for teachers and staff to withhold personal information about a student from that student’s parents," she wrote in her blog. "I wrote an op ed defending the parent’s role in their child’s life and expressing my disappointment Fort Worth ISD would keep information about a student secret rather than communicating openly to the student’s parent."

The Texas Legislature will evaluate the bill in January, and parents believe it is about time the country has this law to address the harmful effects of LGBT behavior to many children.