Bonneville School District modifies gender-identity policy
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IDAHO FALLS — The Bonneville School District will use official student records to determine restroom and dressing room use for students transitioning genders.
The school board Thursday added a “Restroom/Dressing Room Use” clause to Bonneville’s Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation policy. The clause includes two key additions:
- Restroom and dressing room use will be based on official student records.
- A physician’s written statement, verifying a student’s use of a medically prescribed gender transition hormone treatment, will be used to temporarily determine restroom and dressing room use.
Bonneville School Board chairman Paul Jenkins said the change came with student safety in mind.
“It’s about protecting the child — all children, really,” he said.
Other policy changes deal with official student records. Now, records can be changed only upon presentation of “a court order or birth certificate identifying a change of the student’s legal name or gender.” Before Thursday, records could be changed based on this same criteria, as well as a “legal directive” or a physician’s written statement verifying that a student is in a gender “transitioning stage.”
The changes bring Bonneville’s policy more in line with the Idaho High School Athletics Association’s rules for transgender students. (Click here and scroll to “Rule 11” to view the ISHAA’s non-discrimination policy, which outlines participation rules for transgender students.)
This article was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on August 14. It is used here with permission.