Definitions

For the purposes of this policy:

• Gender expression is how a person expresses their gender, often through behavior, emotional expression, mannerisms, dress, grooming, interests, and activities.
• Gender identity refers to one's deeply felt internal sense of being female, or male, or both, or neither.
• Sex describes the biological makeup of an individual, including chromosomal differences.
• Gender nonconforming describes a person whose gender expression differs from stereotypical expectations about how they should look or act based on their sex.  This includes people who identify outside traditional gender categories or identify as both genders, or as gender neutral.
• Sexual orientation is a person’s romantic and/or physical attraction to people of the same and/or another gender and/or sex, such as being straight, gay, bisexual, or asexual. Transgender and gender-nonconforming people may have any sexual orientation.
• Transgender refers to a person whose gender identity or expression is different from that traditionally associated with the person's sex.

West Fargo Public Schools is committed to fostering an educational environment that is safe, welcoming, and free from stigma and discrimination for all learners, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.  The district supports these efforts by facilitating district compliance with local, state, and federal laws concerning discrimination, harassment, bullying, and privacy.

The Superintendent shall develop appropriate regulations and guidelines to:

1. Create a safe and inclusive environment for every learner;
2. Promote physical and psychological safety of learners who exhibit transgender or gender-nonconforming behavior; and
3. Affirm the right of every learner to equal educational opportunity and respectful treatment in their gender identification and expression. Failure of any school learner or school employee to abide by this policy may subject such individual to disciplinary action.

Discrimination and Harassment Complaints

District policy prohibits discrimination and harassment based on gender identity or gender expression.  It is the responsibility of the district, each school, and all staff to ensure that all learners, including transgender and gender-nonconforming learners, have a safe school environment.  The scope of this responsibility includes ensuring that any incident of discrimination or harassment is given immediate attention.

Complaints alleging discrimination or harassment based on a person’s gender identity or gender expression are to be taken seriously and handled in the same manner as other discrimination and/or harassment complaints.  This includes investigating the incident and taking age and developmentally appropriate corrective action.  Anyone may file a complaint alleging a violation of this policy using the complaint process outlined in the district’s Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment Policy. 

Training and Professional Development

The District shall conduct staff training and ongoing professional development in an effort to build the skills of all staff members to prevent, identify, and respond to all forms of harassment and discrimination. The content of such professional development may include, but not be limited to:

1. Terms and concepts related to gender identity, gender expression, and gender diversity in children and adolescents;
2. Appropriate strategies for communicating with learners and parents/guardians about issues related to gender identity and gender expression;
3. Strategies for preventing and intervening in incidents of harassment and discrimination, including cyber-bullying; or
4. District and staff responsibilities under applicable laws and district policies regarding harassment, discrimination, and gender identity and expression issues.

Adopted: 07/01/21

Reviewed:             

Revised: 09/06/22