Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Transgender policy sparks heated debate at St. Paul charter school - StarTribune.com

A heated debate over how to address the needs of transgender and gender-nonconforming students has dragged out for months at a public charter school in St. Paul, drawing in state activists and pitting parents against one another.

The dispute began when the parents of a 5-year-old child who is gender nonconforming asked Nova Classical Academy to help ensure their student wasn't being bullied. When other parents heard that faculty members were talking with children about such bullying, the school's board got involved, and outside groups stepped in.

The Minnesota Family Council, a Minneapolis-based Christian organization, now plans to hold a community meeting Tuesday at Nova to discuss the topic.

The charter school's controversy comes as schools across the country are enacting policies intended to make transgender students feel protected and included.

Since Nova did not have a policy in place, the backlash is falling on the shoulders of one family, said Jill Gaulding, a co-founder of the nonprofit Gender Justice who is working with the family.

Transgender policy sparks heated debate at St. Paul charter school - StarTribune.com

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