Creating Transgender Inclusive Schools : Navigating the Federal Transgender Education Guidance, Tools and Resources for Parents, Students, Teachers and Advocates

In May of 2016, the Department of Justice and the Department of Education released federal guidance to schools across the country to help educators and school administrators create safe and supportive environments for transgender students. Recognizing that this can be a challenging topic for parents to navigate with their children, other parents, and school staff, we have assembled this resource to assist parents, teachers, administrators, advocates and students in creating safe and welcoming school environment for transgender students and their families. In this guide, we break down the federal guidance and provide background on why it was issued, including challenging some common misconceptions about the guidance. We then look at topics surrounding inclusion of transgender students in schools including: how to talk to your children about what it means to be transgender including a list of common terminology, tips on how to frame conversations with your children about gender and gender identity broken down by age category, how to approach a conversation on a classmate?s transition, and topics and tips on talking to other parents and your child?s school about gender and gender identity. Finally, we look at how to advocate for change within a school that may be resistant to adopting the federal guidance.