Transgender Students To Get Additional Protections At Oak Park-River Forest High School

OAK PARK, IL — Officials at Oak Park-River Forest High School plans to make changes to its gender equity policy to add more protections for transgender students. The school, which currently has five unisex bathrooms, got feedback from transgender students at an Aug. 22 meeting to discuss how the current policies could be improved.

Oak Park-River Forest High School's current sex equity policy guarantees that "No student shall, based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity be denied equal access to programs, activities, services, or benefits or be limited in the exercise any right, privilege, advantage, or denied equal access to educational and extracurricular programs and activities." The school seeks to add measures to enhance the policy, specifically with the needs of transgender and gender fluid students in mind.

In a memo, superintendent Dr. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams said, "[Oak Park-River Forest High School] must have a clear understanding of the collective and individual needs of our transgender population." With this understanding in mind, the school hopes to use the current, broader policy as a springboard to make changes that can help transgender students feel welcome on a day-to-day basis. According to Oak Park Wednesday Journal, a mother who was in attendance at the Aug. 22 meeting noted that even splitting students by "boys" and "girls" for projects can be hurtful for transgender students.

According to Chicago Tribune, some of the proposed changes to Oak Park-River Forest High School's gender equity policy include adding more unisex bathrooms and additional space in locker rooms for students who would like more privacy. Whereas OPRF High School's current equity policy outlines protective measures, it does not designate proactive measures, such as curriculum and training on gender pronouns, which may be a requirement once the enhanced policy is rolled out.

>>Image credit: By sarahmirk (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons