Administrative Procedures

Administrative Procedure 312

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Background

All students, staff, and families have the legal right to receive educational programming and services free from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.  As a result, the Board of Education is committed to establishing and maintaining a safe, inclusive, equitable, and welcoming learning and teaching environment for all members of the school community.  The Board of Education expects all members of the school community to be welcomed, respected, accepted, and supported in every school.  The Board of Education will work with families to ensure the needs of students are dealt with in a confidential and respectful manner.

Procedure

1. The Principal shall ensure that all sexual and gender minority students, staff, and families:
   1. Are treated fairly, equitably, and with dignity and respect;
   2. Have their confidentiality protected and respected;
   3. Have the right to self-identification and determination;
   4. Have the right to freedom of conscience, expression, and association;
   5. Are fully included and represented in an inclusive, positive, and respectful manner by all school personnel;
   6. Have equitable access to the same supports, services, and protections provided to heterosexual students and families; and,
   7. Have their unique identities, families, cultures, and communities included, valued, and respected within all aspects of the school environment.
2. The Principal shall:
   1. Ensure that when a student requests that their preferred name, gender identity and/ or gender expression be used, parent/ guardian consent is obtained for students under the age of 16.  For students 16 and over,  parental consent is not required. The preferred first name and pronoun(s) will be used consistently in ways that the student has requested.
      1. Whenever a student has requested a change in their preferred name or pronoun, the Authority for Use of Preferred Name/ Pronoun(s) (Form 312-1) that is available at the school, will be completed and stored in the student’s CUM folder.
   2. Implement professional development opportunities to ensure that sexual and gender minorities and their families are welcomed and treated with respect and dignity in all aspects of the school community;
   3. Ensure staff address all interactions involving the use of comments, behaviours, and actions which display homophobic, transphobic, and sexist content, whether they occur in person or in digital forms;
   4. Ensure that all discriminatory behaviours and complaints will be taken seriously, documented, and dealt with appropriately and in a timely manner through consistently applied policy and procedures;
   5. Ensure staff utilize language and educational resources and approaches that are inclusive, age-appropriate, and respectful of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions;
   6. Support the safety, health, and educational needs of students who identify as transgender or transsexual persons. This includes but is not limited to:
      1. A student or staff member has the right to be addressed by a name and pronoun that corresponds to their consistently asserted gender identity. (see section 2.1 above)
      2. When requested, the student’s school based records and communication will be changed to reflect their preferred name, gender, and pronouns.  All school forms and records shall be changed to ensure that a student’s preferred name and gender markers are current on class lists, timetables, student files, identification cards, etc.  Ministry of Education documents should use the student’s name and gender as registered with Vital Statistics Saskatchewan/Alberta.
      3. In regards to field trips, athletics, locker rooms, and washrooms, a student has the right to use the facilities and participate in field trips and team sports that corresponds to their consistently asserted gender identity.
      4. Schools should reduce or eliminate the practice of segregating students by gender. In classroom activities or school programs where students are segregated by gender, all students should be given the option to be included in the group that correspond to their consistently asserted gender identity.
      5. Support the development of a positive space group for sexual, gender minority, and questioning students (ie:  Gay-Straight Alliance, Rainbow Alliance), at educational settings within the Lloydminster Public School Division, for the purpose of providing an inclusive, safe, and welcoming place for students to meet. 
      6. Ensure the principles of confidentiality, best interests of the child, maximum inclusiveness, and reasonable accommodation shall guide all decision making processes.

Reference
Criminal Code of Canada (1969)
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982/1985)
Canadian Human Rights Act (1996)

Revised 
December 2015
December 2017
August 2023