On Friday, Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign — the nation’s largest LGBTQ-rights advocacy organization — recognized the Boulder Valley School District for its leadership in transgender equality and inclusion.

The Los Angeles Unified School District and District of Columbia Public Schools were likewise cited in a blog post by Charles Girard, coordinator of the HRC’s Welcoming Schools program.

“We surveyed the landscape to see what was going on across the nation, and those three (districts) without a doubt are at the top in policy and practice,” said Johanna Eager, director of Human Rights Campaign’s Welcoming Schools Program.

“They were out ahead of the curve, before government had issued the guidance.”

In May, the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice released joint guidance to help schools ensure the civil rights of transgender students.

“We’re thrilled about the guidance,” Eager said, “and we know what it’s like to have something released at the end of the school year.”

The mid-summer post keeps the guidance on educators’ radar while spotlighting the nation’s pioneering districts.

“They have without a doubt all risen to the top and we can learn from them,” Eager said.

The district was in conversation with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights this spring, said Bruce Messinger, superintendent of BVSD.

BVSD guidelines are cited in a U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education guide also released in May, “Examples of Policies and Emerging Practices for Supporting Transgender Students.”

“Our policies and practices have been held up as a model — along with other school districts across the country — for creating an inclusive environment for all students, including those that are transgender,” Messinger said.

Messinger stressed that a transgender-welcoming culture is not something new to the district, but rather a natural extension of the community’s long-standing humanitarian orientation.

“That reflects the values of our school district and our community. We feel very strongly about it. We feel like it’s the right place to be. If other school districts and communities are so inclined, hopefully our policies and practices will be helpful to them as they plan for the future,” Messinger said.

Girard’s blog post highlights some of BVSD’s achievements, starting with the district’s 2012 development of a formal policy protecting the rights and safety of transgender students and staff.

The district’s student database — for instance, once limited to “male” and “female” genders — was expanded to include a “gender non-conforming” option. Students can now enter their preferred name and gender identity regardless of their birth certificate.

The blog post noted the strength of BVSD’s reputation as a welcoming district, attracting families with transgender children who have relocated from outside the district, according to a 2015 Denver Post article.

Mesa Elementary, in South Boulder, is one of only 12 schools nationwide to earn a Welcoming Schools Seal of Excellence for “exemplary” implementation of the HRC’s elementary school program.

Welcoming Schools aims to improve school culture through training, lesson plans and resources for educators and families. Family diversity, LGBTQ inclusion, prevention of stereotyping and bullying and support of transgender students are core areas of focus.

BVSD’s six-page “Guidelines Regarding the Support of Students and Staff Who Are Transgender and/or Gender Nonconforming,” updated in May, communicates its policy.

The guidelines contain protocols for ensuring the “safety, comfort, and healthy development” of students, while maximizing “social integration and minimizing stigmatization.”

For employees, “the goal is to ensure a safe and supportive working environment.”

There are protocols for privacy, names and pronouns, restroom and locker-room accessibility, competitive sports, dress codes and other areas. Discrimination, harassment and school transfers are also addressed.

“We’ll continue to review and refine this policy, and learn from it. It isn’t like there’s any right way to do this. We’re just working hard to implement our policy effectively,” Messinger said.