Co-Sponsorship Memo Details

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two out of every five students experience emotional and mental health challenges in schools. This student mental health crisis is exacerbated for students who experience discrimination and harassment based on their actual or perceived sex or gender identity or expression and feel disconnected from their peers and teachers. Inclusive gender-based policies and curriculum emphasize anti-discrimination and anti-bullying by building engagement and connections among students and their school communities. Additionally, they create safe learning environments and result in all students experiencing less emotional stress, violence, harassment, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Pennsylvania needs to do better to ensure no student suffers from discrimination in school and that every student receives inclusivity and support while learning and growing in their academic endeavors.
 
Our comprehensive legislative package provides student protections from gender-based discrimination, bullying, and harassment, and provides inclusive accommodations and curriculum.
 
#1. Rep. Guenst’s nondiscrimination in schools proposal would create a clear statewide policy for all public schools to prohibit student discrimination and harassment based on actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression through anti-discrimination and harassment prevention and early intervention policies to create a supportive and equal opportunity learning environment.
 
#2. Rep. Smith-Wade-El’s proposal would provide for inclusive school bathrooms and locker rooms. It would require that new construction and renovations of school buildings have a universal construction design for restrooms and locker rooms that provide at least one gender neutral restroom for every three school restrooms and ensure that students can use the restroom and locker rooms/athletic facilities that align with their gender identity. Additionally, it would allow students to participate in athletic programs based on their consistently asserted gender identity and use the school facilities and be treated consistently with that identity. 
 
#3. Rep. Hohenstein’s proposal ensures inclusive school curriculum and the representation of all student identities by requiring age-appropriate curriculum for K-12 students on the experiences, perspectives, and social, political, and economic contributions of LGBTQ individuals.
 
4. Rep. Takac’s proposal would ensure every school district has a clear policy for trans and non-binary students. This policy must extend schools’ anti-bullying and retaliation policies to these individuals, establish best practices for student and family support during a student’s transitioning period, respect a student’s privacy, and include students’ preferred identity and pronouns.
 
Every student deserves to learn in a safe environment that is free from discrimination and harassment. Please consider co-sponsoring these bills to move Pennsylvania forward to implement these safe environments for every student to learn, play, and grow while freely being themselves.