Note: The Lawrence Times runs opinion columns and letters to the Times written by community members with varying perspectives on local issues. These pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Times staff.
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Dear Lawrence Community,
For our part, the USD 497 Board of Education resolutely wants transgender students, staff, and their families to feel all love the whole school day and be afforded the right and dignity to show up to school as they are — especially now.
Lawrence Public School educators, administrators, and board leaders long ago passed and implemented policies and guidelines that assert board expectations for gender-affirming school environments. A fundamental guiding principle is that transgender and nonbinary students and staff must have a safe and welcoming education environment in which to work and learn.
All 13 board members I’ve served with have reaffirmed that guiding principle through their votes and other actions while acknowledging that there is still more work to do. The work is varied and nuanced because Lawrence Public Schools’ transgender communities are diverse, and there are different educational needs, community engagement approaches and priorities to consider.
Today, advancing this vital equity work at the district and building levels is hindered by discriminatory actions from policymakers at the state and national levels. Bills like SB 63 and SB 76 — both of which undercut the care and instructional expertise of school counselors, nurses, teachers, and parents — are harmful to students.
It is unkind and unjust to compromise a child’s well-being for a person’s own political gain, which most certainly is the fuel for the onslaught of anti-trans legislation. We know that the increase in anti-transgender bills and executive orders is pervasive in public discourse. The discourse alone may damage LGBTQ+ youths’ mental health and increase the risk for self-harm and suicide, per a recent Trevor Project study. USD 497 mental health staff are keenly aware of this risk and are prepared to support students and educators as needed.
Far less pressing than impacts on student mental health, but a worry among others, aspects of SB 63 and SB 76 appear misaligned with existing law, creating a potentially costly litigious environment for Kansas school districts. USD 497 board opposes SB 63, as we opposed its 2024 iteration, and we likewise oppose SB 76. If one can put aside SB 76’s poor accounting for civil liberties, it’s technically and structurally a messy bill, and it essentially legalizes bullying.
Both bills overreach into our personhood. Taken together, they dictate personal health care decisions and the very names we can call ourselves. Speaking as just a Kansan and not a board member, that’s frightening to me. At the board table, my board colleagues and I consider what the debate around these bills must feel like for a 15-year-old transgender kid trying to make sense of it. Why do that to them? We endeavor to support at least part of the antidote — a school community where they can come and just be themselves and study.
Sincerely,
Kelly Jones (she/her), board president, Lawrence Public Schools Board of Education
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More Community Voices:
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence TimesLawrence school board President Kelly Jones: Schools must be safe, welcoming amid anti-trans onslaught (Column)
“The USD 497 Board of Education resolutely wants transgender students, staff, and their families to feel all love the whole school day and be afforded the right and dignity to show up to school as they are — especially now,” Lawrence school board President Kelly Jones writes in this column.
