Blog Post #9

 Guidance for Rhode Island Schools on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students

Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 

Quotes:

1. In the introduction of the document, the four purposes of the guidances are "• Foster an educational environment that is safe and free from discrimination for all students, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, • Facilitate compliance with state and federal law concerning bullying, harassment, and discrimination, • Reduce the stigmatization of and improve the educational integration of transgender and gender non-conforming students, maintaining the privacy of all students, and fostering cultural competence and professional development for school staff, and • Support healthy communication between educators and parent(s)/guardian(s) to further the successful educational development and well-being of every student. " These purposes show what the guidance fully entails. These purposes are all fundamental to consider because  highlight the importance of education and discrimination considering the topic, highlight the federal laws in place involved, and emphasizes the relationship between adults and students through the importance of communication. 
2. Later on, the guidance shares why this is necessary overall. It quotes, ". Enumeration of subgroups within Civil Rights Laws is necessary because those subgroups tend to experience discrimination more than other groups. Enumeration specifically identifies categories of people who must be included within the protection of the law." This piece shows that without this law, discrimination can and will be seen in American public schools, which goes against the famous Civil Rights Act.
3. The guidance then states the actual and all federal laws and guidances placed, the Rhode Island state laws, and also important definitions to go with this topic. This is the most important part of the document because it shows the audience; Rhode Island citizens, the real and actual truth and meanings of what is going on between laws and the LGTBQ+ community. 
   
   

Reflection:

    Overall, my experience going over the guidances for transgender and gender nonconforming students was extremely informational, and thought out. The guidance seems to answer and list every answer to any question being asked about this topic. This shows me, what I need to do as a future teacher, what goes on in real life American classrooms, and how to do my job correctly based on laws and guidances. I also see the important in stating definitions of the terms used because many people all over the world can be unfamiliar when not properly educated on the topic.