Equity & Diversity

Groups Release Legal Guide on Sexual Identity in Schools

By Caroline Hendrie — November 02, 2004 1 min read
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School leaders confronting tricky legal questions involving sexual orientation and gender identity have a new place to turn for advice.

“Dealing with Legal Matters Surrounding Students’ Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” is available online from the National School Boards Association. ()

A coalition of education organizations led by the National School Boards Association, based in Alexandria, Va., has published a new guidebook addressing a host of issues involving gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students.

Schools’ legal responsibilities toward gay-straight student clubs, harassment of gay youngsters, and the curriculum’s treatment of sexual orientation are among the issues tackled in the publication through a question-and-answer format.

Released last month, the guide was timed to coincide with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History Month activities in schools during October that were promoted by such groups as the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network in New York City.

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