St. Paul schools working on ‘gender inclusion’ policy

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The St. Paul school district is seeking to establish a new policy to protect transgender students.

The proposal was outlined Tuesday night by the district’s strategic planning and policy administrator. A group of school board members plans to work on the “gender inclusion” policy with students, parents and staff in the coming months.

Some of the main provisions call for students to be identified by their preferred names and gender pronouns, and participate in programs and activities that align with their gender identity.

The Minnesota State High School League adopted a similar policy in December allowing transgender athletes to play on sports teams that agree with their gender identity.

The Avalon School in St. Paul and the Blake School in Hopkins recently decided to open gender-neutral bathrooms for students.