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Published – March 30, 2023

Verona Area School District’s (VASD) policy, “Nondiscrimination Guidelines Related to Students who are Transgender and Nonconforming to Gender Role Stereotypes”, allows transgender students to use the restrooms of their choice. The policy states,

“In most cases, a student who is transgender will be permitted to access the men’s/women’s segregated restrooms that correspond to the gender identity that the student consistently asserts at school and in other social environments.” 

District leaders said they will assess the use of locker rooms on a case-by-case basis, looking at factors such as the physical layout of the facility and the degree of undress required when changing for the applicable activity. However, they add:

“There is no absolute rule that, in all cases, will require a transgender student to access and use only the locker rooms and other changing areas that correspond to the biological sex that the student was assigned at birth.” 

Most concerningly, the district admits they will hide a student’s transgender status from parents:

“School staff shall not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status to others, including other school staff, unless legally required to do so or authorized to do so under state and federal laws governing the confidentiality of student records.” 

Superintendent Dr. Tremayne Clardy wrote a letter to the community that was featured in the “2022-2023 Budget & Annual Meeting.” He wrote the district is on a “journey together toward fulfilling the Verona Area School District’s commitment to becoming the national model for educational excellence grounded in equity.”

In order to do this, the district says, “Every decision we make will be rooted in equity, from instruction to budget.” The meeting notes further highlighted the district’s student affinity groups such as the Black Student Union, Latino Nation, and The Asian Student Association.

VASD is currently developing the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan for the district. This plan “identifies, prioritizes, and communicates the district’s direction for the next five years.” Although the district is still in the planning phase of this project, they lay out several high-level trends they plan to focus on.

Under “Wellness,” the district writes:

“All students need to be explicitly taught social emotional learning skills and for staff to provide culturally responsive practices to support social, emotional, and behavioral skills so that everyone is part of their classroom, school, and the Verona Area School District community.” 

The document also notes “all staff need development in equity and inclusion practices” and the desire to hire a more diverse staff, writing:

“Historically marginalized student populations (students of color, LGBTQIA+, multilingual) need to see themselves represented in staff so that they feel a sense of inclusion and belonging.” 

Verona Area School District has more than 5,700 students enrolled across a PreK, four neighborhood elementary schools, two middle schools, three charter schools, and one high school.