INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Pregnant and transgender students and employees are now protected under the Indian River County School Board Policy.
The School Board held a public hearing on the massive update of 380 pages of policy on April 12, but no public comment was given and only one school board member gave comment.
Board member Claudia Jimenez said the 2015 Florida Senate Bill 982 added pregnancy to the 1992 Florida Civil Rights Act law. She also said she had received several emails expressing concern transgender and pregnant people were not included in the policy.
“We must respect all people,” she said.
The 1992 Florida Civil Rights Act law does not list transgender among the protected classes, but federal law does.
The U.S. Department of Education advised schools two years ago, on April 29, 2014, all equal opportunity, harassment and bullying protections are to be accorded to transgender students and employees, citing federal laws Title IX, and Title II, which are enforced and cases investigated by the Office for Civil Rights.
