Blair Oaks Board of Education removes transgender policy
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Blair Oaks Board of Education removed a policy related to transgender students at its meeting Tuesday night.
The board voted to remove policy 2115, which allowed students to choose a name and pronoun by which they identify and to dress according to their gender identity. The policy also allowed students to use bathrooms according to their gender or that are gender-neutral.
The policy is in accordance with the Missouri State High School Activities Association regulations for sports. Those regulations include allowing transgender men, female to male, to compete on a boys' team but are no longer allowed to compete on a girls' team.
Transgender women, male to female, may continue to compete on a boys' team but may not compete on a girls' team until one year of documented medical hormone treatment and/or suppression is completed.
To maintain eligibility, a trans-female student will need to provide medical documentation the appropriate hormones are being maintained.
Tuesday night’s removal comes after the board tabled the discussion about the policy in August after parents shared their opinions both for and against the policy during a meeting.
The board is working with its legal team to make sure all other policies on nondiscrimination remain in place.
The board also picked a firm to help the district with its search for a new superintendent.
Members approved Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA) to help with the process. The organization will talk to the board and parents as well as analyze and publicize data. MSBA would also conduct background checks and come up with interview questions.
The board said MSBA would come up with the timeline for the search. MSBA is the same company Columbia Public Schools used in 2021 for its superintendent search.
Former superintendent Jim Jones retired on June 30 after a two-month leave. Jones’ separation agreement stipulates that Jones "will not be present at District sponsored events or on District property without first obtaining written permission from the Superintendent or President of the Board of Education."
Mark Harvey is currently serving as the interim superintendent.
