The board of the Springfield Township School District in Montgomery County unanimously adopted a policy April 19 detailing how to make district facilities and services inclusive for transgender and gender-nonconforming youth.
It’s the second time a formal policy of this kind has been adopted in Pennsylvania, according to Jason Landau Goodman, founding executive director of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress.
Great Valley School District in Chester County was the first to adopt a policy in support of its trans students just a day before Springfield did. Springfield Superintendent Dr. Nancy M. Hacker was not immediately available for comment.
Policy 253, Springfield’s transgender and gender-nonconforming policy, outlines privacy rights for transgender students, the handling of academic records, proper incorporation into sex-segregated programs like athletics, restroom and locker room access and general harassment and discrimination protections.
“These policies are essential in ensuring safe and positive educational experiences for transgender students,” Landau Goodman said in a statement. “In turn, they help lift up entire school communities in celebrating all students, regardless of their gender identity or expression.”
He added the Pennsylvania Youth Congress has been working with districts across the state for the last few years in support of transgender-affirming policies.
The board of the Lower Merion School District, also in Montgomery County, has started the process for adopting a transgender policy of its own. The Pittsburgh School Board will introduce a transgender student policy at a meeting next month.
Editor’s note: Previous reporting indicated that Springfield schools were the first in Pennsylvania to pass a policy in support of their transgender students. Jason Landau Goodman of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress said after his organization publicized that news, he found out that Great Valley schools had passed a policy first for their trans students.