Leon County School Board Discusses Changes to LGBTQ+ Guide

Leon County School Board Discusses Changes to LGBTQ+ Guide

During the Monday evening Leon County School Board (LCSB) agenda review, the Board discussed the pending changes to the LGBTQ+ guide.

Last year, the LCSB came under scrutiny for the LGBTQ+ guide following a lawsuit filed in October 2021. The case was filed after a 13-year-old LCS student’s parents were not informed of a support plan initiated by school staff members.

Tallahassee Reports has previously covered this matter.

Since the lawsuit was filed, LCS staff have worked to change the language and guidelines within the document to be compliant with Florida law, including the parent bill of rights.

“Parental rights are amongst our most venerated constitutionally protected rights and are critical to the integrity of our public school system of education,” said Mary McAlister, the attorney for the Littlejohn family who filed the lawsuit.

According to the discussion during the evening meeting, there have been many revisions to the document over several months. However, the Board members seemed most focused on how best to indicate a student’s formal name or informal name and when a teacher should reach out to a parent.

“We have to balance here,” Board member Rosanne Wood said. “It is important that we protect our kids, protect our teachers and administrators, and help the parents understand their rights.”

Regarding a student’s name, the current practice states the student’s parent must access the school portal and list the preferred name in the student’s account.

Wood and Board member DeeDee Rasmussen both agreed that the language of the newly edited guidelines should include consent for a nickname or informal name that may be used in the classroom setting.

The option for a nickname in the student’s record would prevent any backlash from parents and keep teachers from being rebuked. Likewise, the Board determined that a list of pronouns should be added to the portal for students and parents to select if they so choose.

Then, when the discussion shifted to communicating with a student’s parents, several Board members agreed that while the student’s safety is most important, a teacher’s discretion is best in these situations.

Superintendent Rocky Hanna commented that students will often confide in a teacher they feel comfortable with. He suggested that divulging a private conversation with a parent might break the student’s trust. However, if the student requests the teacher take action, or the teacher feels the student may be in danger, then the parents should be contacted directly.

Lastly, Board member Joy Bowen and Chair Darryl Jones suggested having the students and parents give feedback regarding the changes to the document. “It is vital to have student input in this document,” Jones said.

17 Responses to "Leon County School Board Discusses Changes to LGBTQ+ Guide"

  1. Leon County School Board got a large chunk of their collective butts bitten off by the Littlejohn when Montford trying to do an end around with their child. Classic example of the government thinking they know better than the public. Why anyone send their child to a public school any more is beyond me, particularly in the northeast part of town.

  2. Roseanne Wood pretending she cares about students and parents rights is rich. She threw me out of SAIL for off campus non-threatening speech she had no right to regulate and hid the fact we had the right to appeal from us. She violated my first amendment rights. She only cares about people’s rights when they also benefit her.

  3. I get that they’re trying to do what they feel is best for the children but not keeping parents informed of their child’s behavior is extremely inappropriate and should be a red flag for all parents.

  4. We have the tail wagging the dog , folks….if the LBGQ group is un happy with how their child is being treated or referred to in a PUBLIC, school setting , there is always private school, and we have several in the area that are excellent schools !

  5. Attention all local Pastors:
    Please do a quick mental inventory of your flock.
    If ANY school board members are darkening your holy doors please have a come to Jesus meeting with them ASAP!!!
    Its your job to try and save their wayward souls.

  6. This is not or should it have anything to do at the school board level or any government entity that deems it necessary to overstep the parents rights. Any school board member who doesn’t stand up and cry foul that this is a demented overreach and denounce this issue should be voted out.

    It should be criminalized for any school official to interfere or step in regarding this issue.

  7. Edward you are correct. Also it seems as if these vile/vulgar school board members are only trying to change the language to make it look like they are doing anything differently. They are not.

    Teach the 3 R’s. Leave our children/grandchildren along for God’s sake.

  8. In case you missed this part in biology class there only two sexes, male and female. Any other sex is a mental image to help that person fell better about themselves.

    Why is LGBTQ guide needed? Are they more special than other students that this group needs special rules? All you are doing is dividing kids from their fellow students. What happened to the golden rule, treat others like you would be treated? Unless there is some Florida or US law that states they are to be treated differently, then other student then just leave them alone.

  9. High School biology. XX is female, XY is male. It’s not that complicated.

    Instead of “filtering” that biology class by the rules of an agenda, the school board should be trying to establish policy to deal with a mental illness that denies facts instead of trying to make everybody accommodate this one specific mental illness.

  10. There should be no LGBTWhatever guide in the Public School System in the first place. That’s why the system is seen more these days as a Public Indoctrination System. These people have no business whatsoever delving into these family/personal issues. You are NOT there to raise these children or “guide” them into a delusional and depraved lifestyle, you’re there to TEACH them reading, writing, and arithmetic. DO YOUR DAMN JOB AND STAY OUT OF OUR LIVES !!! The whole lot of them need to be tossed to the curb… from the entire Fool Board to the Stupidintendant

    “Two wrongs don’t make a right, and two men can’t make a baby:

    … on THIS… the Science is Settled

  11. My name is David Hawkins and I have 5 Nick Names that I answer to. 4 of them are: Dave, Hawk, Hawkeye and Shelby Dave. A list of pronouns is not needed.

  12. People have religious rights. The government, in this case the school board, can not compel someone to apostatize by referring to males as females, females as males or referring to people as a gender that does not exist. In other words, they can not force anyone to join their mutiny against God.

  13. The Bible speaks to a man laying with a man as an abomination.
    Can we get the LCSB to go on record with their response to the Bible?

  14. If school personnel feel a student is in danger, they are obligated under the law to report to Department of Children and Families. They are mandated reporters.

  15. None of those idiots see the insanity in what they are debating. They can’t even agree on what name to call someone. And if Rocky Hannah is having a conversation with another person’s child, ALL of that conversation has to be “divulged”. The very idea that Hannah thinks its Ok to keep ANY information concerning the child from his or her parents is a disqualification for the job!

    All of those miscreants have lost their minds and they won’t be satisfied until you lose yours too!

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