CLOSE Escambia Count School Board Members decide not to vote on school handbook changes for now that would include non discrimination wording for gender identity or expression.

Buy Photo Sara Latshaw, Director of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida-Northwest Region, speaks to members of the Escambia County School Board on Tuesday in regards to proposed additions and revisions to the Escambia County School District Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook that include gender identity or expression. The vote was put off to a later dater after School Board Member Jeff Bergosh made a motion to postpone the vote and have a workshop on the topic. (Photo: Ben Twingley/btwingley@pnj.com )Buy Photo

The Escambia County School Board voted Tuesday night to postpone amending its Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook until June, but not before a board member proposed an amendment that would add "gender identity/expression" to the school district's nondiscrimination policies.

The current Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook includes nondiscrimination policies for sexual orientation — such as homosexuality — but does not include language that specifically protects gender nonconforming students.

Last month, the U.S. Education Department alerted districts in a memo on sexual violence that it would welcome civil rights complaints from transgender students under Title IX, the 1972 law that bans gender discrimination at schools.

But explicit language informing students and staff of the prohibited discrimination was missing from Escambia County's Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook, said Sara Latshaw, director of the Northwest Region of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida.

She said Tuesday's proposed amendment was a step in the right direction to ensuring students understand the new federal policy.

"While we're disappointed that they postponed the amendment, we're happy that the board has opened up this discussion for greater community input," she said. "I hope that they will use this time to work with the community, stakeholders, administrators, students to make sure the Rights and Responsibilities Handbook protects as many students, teachers and staff as possible."

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