Whole-of-school approaches to supporting transgender students, staff, and parents

In our work focusing on transgender people in the context of education we are constantly struck by how quickly discussions about transgender people shift to focus solely on transgender students. In this editorial we want to broaden such discussions to consider the importance of whole-of-school approaches to improve the well-being and inclusion of all transgender people in schools. We believe this broader focus is necessary to make lasting change.

Most of the existing discussions about transgender people in education focus on negative school experiences. With regard to students, research at the secondary school level from around the world demonstrates that transgender students experience high levels of harassment, violence, and threats to their safety and higher rates of suicidality than their cisgender peers (e.g., Greytak, Kosciw, & Diaz, 2009; Jones et al., 2016; UNESCO, 2016; Wyss, 2004).

Cisgender parents of transgender children at the primary/elementary school level also report high levels of bullying of their children by cisgender peers (alongside a common lack of attention to transgender children in school anti-bullying policies), lack of understanding and support from school staff, and exclusion in the form of rules relating to gender-segregated bathroom use, school uniforms, and sports participation (e.g., Johnson, Sikorski, Savage, & Woitaszewski, 2014; Kuvalanka, Weiner, & Mahan, 2014; Pullen Sansfaçon, Robichaud, & Dumais-Michaud, 2015).

Research with transgender educators has documented the complexity of being both transgender and an educator, with some studies finding that other staff members are more uncomfortable with this than students (e.g., Harris & Jones, 2014). Other research has found that preservice teachers who are transgender experience discrimination in relation to conducting teaching placements (e.g., Murray, 2015).

The very limited amount of research about transgender parents and schools similarly tends to report negative experiences, including issues such as direct discrimination from school staff and other parents, having to move home after transitioning, limited engagement in their child's schools, and not disclosing their gender journey to their child's school (e.g., Polly, 2015; Pyne, 2012).

All of these negative experiences clearly have implications for the well-being of transgender people and their families. We understand that transgender people in education often have negative experiences and the importance of providing evidence of negative experiences to convince others that change is necessary. However, less attention has been paid to the actions that could be taken to make schools more inclusive and affirming of transgender students, staff, and parents in schools. This includes the need to focus on the actions of cisgender people rather than place the responsibility on people who are transgender or have transgender children. One example of this is to examine the capacities of cisgender teachers and preservice teachers (e.g., Bartholomaeus, Riggs, & Andrew, 2017) and school counselors and psychologists (e.g., Riggs & Bartholomaeus, 2015) to work with and support transgender students. Furthermore, we argue that such changes would benefit all children, young people, and adults who are associated with schools, due to the restrictive nature of dominant gender discourses, which impact on all people.

In his book Safe Is Not Enough: Better Schools for LGBTQ Students, Sadowski (2016) argues that there is a need to go beyond safety to think more comprehensively about what an ideal school would be for LGBTQ students:

If the safe spaces represented by antibullying policies, LGBTQ safe zones, and gay-straight alliances were viewed not as ends in themselves but merely as foundations for schools that are supportive, inclusive, and affirming of all LGBTQ students—all day and every day—what might these “new and improved” schools look like? And, perhaps even more importantly, how would we get there? What steps might educators take to bring their schools to the next level? (p. 14)

We similarly argue that an approach to considering whole-of-school change is needed rather than focusing only on safety. Considering the needs and experiences of transgender students, staff, and parents offers the opportunity to think more broadly about the changes that are needed.

Work has already been done to document some of the positive actions in schools in relation to transgender people. However, little has been written about individual schools and the actions they take in terms of whole-of-school change. An exception is an article written by the mother of a “gender nonconforming” child, alongside the guidance counselor and principal from her child's school and a consultant involved in professional development at the school (Slesaransky-Poe, Ruzzi, Dimedio, & Stanley, 2013). This article comprehensively documents the processes involved in whole-of-school change, from the mother first meeting with the guidance counselor prior to her child starting school through to a reflective note from the mother 5 years later. It particularly discusses the leadership role that the principal and guidance counselor played after increasing their own knowledge and providing professional development for school staff and the important work of a group of educators who created a “Welcoming Schools committee” to continue to improve the school. However, we would also argue that the catalyst for whole-of-school change should not rely on the presence of a transgender person in the school.

As a start to more comprehensively thinking about whole-of-school change, we've summarized a range of approaches that would assist in creating inclusive school cultures for transgender students, staff, and parents (see “Whole-of-school approaches to creating inclusive schools for transgender people”). These ideas arise from the research, reading, and thinking we've been doing in this space over several years, including in relation to our forthcoming book (Bartholomaeus & Riggs, 2018), although these ideas are not proscriptive nor do they constitute a definitive list. We also want to acknowledge that there are already people involved in schools who are creating inclusive school cultures and taking action to support transgender people.

While we have outlined several ideas relating to whole-of-school change, the context of individual schools is important, and actions that work in one school may not work in another. It is also crucially important to listen to the needs and requests of individual transgender students, staff, and parents in schools, as these will differ, including in terms of preferences relating to use of facilities and disclosure. We also acknowledge that the context in which debates about transgender people and education are situated is different around the world, including in terms of levels of violence encountered by transgender people and legal protections (e.g., UNESCO, 2016). In addition, there is much diversity among people who are transgender, not only in terms of gender but also in relation to other factors such as culture and ethnicity, geographical location, class/socioeconomic background, ability/disability, and religion, which impact experiences.

It is also important to highlight that individual schools need support from the education sector and broader society, and at present these may facilitate or hinder actions to support transgender people in schools. For example, while policies and procedures may be developed at the individual school level including anti-bullying policies that specifically mention gender, broader policies—particularly from education departments—can be crucial in providing a guide for schools that want to make changes and in providing sanctioned support to schools that may face hostility from parents and/or the broader community because of these changes. In addition, the ability to teach about gender diversity in the classroom may be influenced by whether (and how) this is addressed in national curriculums, and teacher understandings and actions are likely to be impacted by opportunities for professional development and the content of preservice teacher university courses. Therefore, we also want to emphasize the importance of advocating for change in the broader context, beyond individual schools, to make widespread, lasting change.

Finally, while we have made suggestions for what an ideal school might look like, we acknowledge the importance of situating this within the current political climate. Currently there are antigender campaigns in many countries, which actively oppose actions to support transgender students and teaching about gender diversity, as part of broader hostility to issues such as marriage equality and gender equality (e.g., Kováts & Põim, 2015). This hostility can be particularly challenging for individual schools and individual people within schools wanting to make changes to support transgender students, staff, and parents, even when there are often more people who support this inclusion than resist it. Such a context highlights the need for whole-of-school approaches, alongside broader support including from education departments. Thinking ambitiously about what inclusive schools may look like offers a counter to the current discussions, which are often negative (both in terms of the political climate and transgender people's experiences in schools) and offers a positive way of looking at what might be possible.

Whole-of-school approaches to creating inclusive schools for transgender people

Philosophy and ethos

•	Mission-and-values statement of school includes celebration of diversity, specifically naming gender
•	Signs and posters in school celebrate gender diversity, including in the front office
•	Written statements about philosophy and ethos that are followed through in practice

Policies, procedures, and guidelines

•	Bullying, harassment, physical safety, and discrimination: ○ Policies naming gender, gender diversity, and transphobia (including mention of transphobic bullying and language, deliberate ongoing use of incorrect names and pronouns, etc.) ○ Policies outlining consequences for such transphobic actions for students and staff ○ Procedures for dealing with complaints relating to discrimination and harassment ○ Procedure for recording incidents
•	Dress codes ○ All options for school uniforms and dress codes (including in relating to jewelry and make-up) available to all students, including for sport, formals/proms, and other activities ○ All options for dress codes available to all staff
•	Toilets/bathrooms and change rooms ○ Student facilities accessible to students according to affirmed gender (or individual transgender students' preferences) ○ “All gender” toilets/bathrooms available for all students to have access to, if they choose ○ Staff toilets/bathrooms accessible by staff according to their affirmed gender (or individual transgender staff members' preferences) ○ “All gender” toilets/bathrooms available for all staff to have access to, if they choose ○ Building of new facilities to consider individual facilities (e.g., individual toilet stalls)
•	School camps ○ Transgender students consulted about their preferred options for sleeping arrangements when attending school camps; students placed with other students of their affirmed gender, unless they have concerns and then a suitable arrangement should be agreed upon (e.g., placing with friends)
•	Physical education and sport ○ Students participating in physical education classes and school sport according to affirmed gender ○ Broader policies adhered to for interschool sports (although requests may be made to change these)
•	Music ○ Choir parts should be referred to by their names (e.g., bass) rather than gendered language
•	Supporting individual transgender people ○ Guidelines for how to respond and be affirming when a student, staff member, or parent discloses that they are transgender to a staff member ○ Procedure for supporting students who are transgender including in relation to disclosure, ongoing support, time off from school for gender-affirming appointments and processes (if relevant), and support for families including siblings (if relevant) ○ Procedure for supporting students who have not disclosed to their family or do not have the support of their family, including considering the best interests of the student, how to maintain student confidentiality, and how to assist students in talking with their families (if desired) ○ Procedure for supporting teachers who are transgender including in relation to disclosure, ongoing support, leave for gender-affirming appointments and processes (if relevant) ○ Guidelines for disclosing to others in school (if desired by individual), which can be modified by the individual transgender student, staff member, or parent ○ Privacy and confidentiality when disclosing gender for students, staff, and parents, including guidelines for who can access records and consequences for breaches of privacy and confidentiality ○ Guidelines for supporting transgender parents and their children ○ Guidelines for developing individual support plans for transgender students, staff members, and parents
•	Guidelines to address possible hostility from community members and media, including requirement to maintain privacy of individual students, staff members, and parents
•	Process for monitoring and evaluating implementation of policies, including updating policies
•	Ensuring that the entire school community is aware of policies

Leadership

•	Leadership team supports transgender students and families, transgender staff, and transgender parents and families
•	Leadership team supports staff training, grants time off for training, and allocates adequate funding
•	Leadership team supports educators in teaching about gender diversity and supports transgender people in school
•	Leadership team seeks support from education departments and unions
•	Leadership team fully aware of education department and other policies and ensures all staff are aware of (new) policies
•	Plans for leadership and support in dealing with any possible backlash (e.g., from parents, media)
•	Leadership team receives training to manage responses from school communities and media
•	Provisions for student leadership in relation to school changes and actions around gender diversity

Record keeping

•	If required by education departments to keep a record of students' previously enrolled genders and names, records and enrolment forms for students remain confidential, with affirmed names and gender used in all other places (depending on student wishes)
•	Confidential records for staff members and parents, with affirmed names, gender, and titles used in all other places (depending on staff member or parent wishes)
•	Guidelines for who can access confidential records, with staff having access only to as much information as they need to know, and consequences for privacy breaches
•	Records that can be accessed by others reflect affirmed name and gender
•	Modifications to student database allows for change of gender and records nonbinary gender (where this is externally controlled, e.g., by education departments, there may be guidelines for how to do this, otherwise requests for changes to the system to allow this should be made.)
•	All identification cards, library cards, and so forth, reflect affirmed names of students
•	All identification cards reflect affirmed names of staff members
•	All forms to be gender inclusive (e.g., including open-ended response options for gender)

Practices and language use

•	Inclusive language used generally
•	Staff do not divide students by gender for class activities, sports, subjects, lining up, etc.
•	Staff do not address students as “girls and boys”
•	All school community members use people's affirmed names and pronouns
•	Staff intervene in bullying and keep a record of incidents
•	Staff directly challenge transphobic language
•	School formals/proms are inclusive of all students
•	Support for transgender students, staff, and parents is ongoing

Resources and training

•	Training for all staff and people who work or volunteer in schools
•	Training for administrators and office staff for dealing with media inquiries
•	Professional development for educators and school counselor/psychologists
•	Access to affirming, supportive, and informed school counselors/psychologists for students
•	Library resources that reflect gender diversity, available for all to access
•	Schools' ongoing contact with relevant support organizations (e.g., Safe Schools programs)

Support for school community

•	Families and school boards/governing councils attend information sessions about gender diversity and school changes relating to inclusion
•	Staff can direct cisgender parents of transgender children to additional resources and support (or direct them to other staff who have this information)

Curriculum/teaching and learning

•	All areas of curriculum are open to including gender diversity content (e.g., literature and language arts, sexuality education, history, civics, mathematics, visual arts)
•	Students learn about the social construction of gender
•	Teaching and library sources that are transphobic are removed

Transgender-specific initiatives

•	Alliance groups (or similar initiatives) that are transgender inclusive available to students and supported by staff
•	Celebration of events such as IDAHOBIT Day and LGBT History Month
•	Materials and resources celebrating gender diversity and/or particular events sought from education departments and support organizations
•	All students and staff in schools encouraged to be involved in these initiatives, where appropriate
•	Students supported in leading these initiatives