Michael Scott Davidson

mdavidson@pnj.com;

The Escambia County School Board voted Tuesday night to postpone amending its Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook until June, but not before a board member proposed an amendment that would add "gender identity/expression" to the school district's nondiscrimination policies.

The current Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook includes nondiscrimination policies for sexual orientation — such as homosexuality — but does not include language that specifically protects gender nonconforming students.

Last month, the U.S. Education Department alerted districts in a memo on sexual violence that it would welcome civil rights complaints from transgender students under Title IX, the 1972 law that bans gender discrimination at schools.

But explicit language informing students and staff of the prohibited discrimination was missing from Escambia County's Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook, said Sara Latshaw, director of the Northwest Region of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida.

She said Tuesday's proposed amendment was a step in the right direction to ensuring students understand the new federal policy.

"While we're disappointed that they postponed the amendment, we're happy that the board has opened up this discussion for greater community input," she said. "I hope that they will use this time to work with the community, stakeholders, administrators, students to make sure the Rights and Responsibilities Handbook protects as many students, teachers and staff as possible."