“Do all you can to keep them safe,” Pastor Michael Williams said of transgender students. “But please do not create a policy that legitimizes, normalizes and affirms the LGBT and transgender lifestyles.”

Written in 2014, the anti-discrimination policy already forbids discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability and age, but it does not specifically mention gender identity.

The new policy will add gender identity and expression, along with pregnancy, military service and political affiliation, to the groups that cannot be discriminated against.

The policy does not address restroom and locker room usage, or any other accommodations for transgender students.

The OPS board has separately discussed crafting a policy that could address those issues, similar to rules that the Bellevue Public Schools adopted last year.

The Bellevue regulations allow transgender students to dress, use the restroom and be called the name and pronoun that corresponds with their gender identity.

OPS has not moved forward on that potential policy yet.

Several parents and students told the board that they would welcome added protections for transgender students.