Guidance on Supporting Transgender and Nonbinary Youth and Letter to Wisconsin Association of School Boards

As you are likely aware, school districts around the country are grappling with new proposed policies that would limit what educators can say related to gender and sexuality; or even require educators to disclose information about students who identify as LGBTQIA+ to their families. Wisconsin is not immune to these difficult proposals, including a recently passed policy in Rice Lake. 

In response to these troubling laws that will not only harm the well-being of our students, but also require school social workers to violate our Code of Ethics; WSSWA’s Legislative Committee has collaborated with the Wisconsin School Psychologists Association and the Wisconsin School Counselors Association to write a letter to the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB.) You can read the letter here. This letter has been shared with the WASB and is free to be re-shared with others. If needed, this letter can be used as a resource or guide when writing to your own school boards, administrators, or state representatives. 

WSSWA is also proud to share a newly created resource with our members: the WSSWA Guidelines for Supporting Transgender and Nonbinary Students. This rich resource provides tons of helpful information ranging from legal protections, background information on transitioning, tips for advocacy, and links to other resources. This resource will also be listed under “Professional Resources”  on the WSSWA member’s page.