LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Fayette County Board of Education moved forward with an update to their policies with respect to instruction on sexuality Monday evening. An interpretation of a bill passed this year has encouraged schools to thread a needle when it comes to certain kinds of instruction.
The Fayette County Board of Education voted unanimously to move ahead with a policy change, striking a line that would have required them to ensure students of any grade would not receive instruction that would have a goal or purpose of studying gender identity, expression, or sexual orientation. 14 members of the public spoke during the meeting. The vast majority spoke in favor of trans rights in schools.
"Not providing safe support or accurate information does not erase the fact that LGBTQ youth exist. What it does is put them at a greater risk of poor academic success, truancy, and most troubling, intense anxiety, major depression, and suicidal ideation," said Beth Rightmyer.
"LGBTQ students are our children too. They are not others. They are humans. They are just like us. We need to take into account what makes them feel comfortable and what makes them feel okay, so they can thrive in those schools," said Adam Moore
Two spoke in support of the original interpretation of Senate Bill 150, saying they did not believe sexuality should be discussed in public school.
"I would propose that Fayette County Public Schools focus on the core curriculum of math, reading, writing, and science, rather than taking away valuable time on other topics. I believe we can support and provide a safe community for all students without including this in the curriculum," Kay Burns said.
This all comes down to that interpretation of the "or" in the bill that seemingly allows districts to choose whether children in fifth grade and below don't receive any instruction on sexuality and STDs, or that students of any grade don’t have instruction on sexuality. Fayette County Schools Superintendent Demetrus Liggins said this evening, he anticipates legislators will change the bill to ban both those points. For now, though, he said the district will work with this interpretation.
"Taking this action tonight will allow our staff the time to closely work with our educators to identify any such courses and add notations in the curriculum documents to provide guidance and resources and the appropriate language to our teachers so that they can continue to support our students and the rich choices and course offerings and pathways available in our district," Liggins said.
