I've ever done in my life?
When I die, I will say #1.
I raised a good family and I lid
a good I tried to do good #2.
I passed this policy
and passed that policy. He did.
That is Nampa School Board member Marco
Valle showing his support for Policy 2050.
A man who once provided food for
the poor while working for the
Idaho Food Bank says the passagf
this policy ranks higher than t.
Critics have compared this polio
that of Florida's Don't Say gay bill.
The Nampa school board approved it this week,
and it restricts teachers from having
conversations about gender iden,
sexual orientation with any
student in the school.
And if a student does bring
up one of these topics, well,
then they'll refer to a counsel.
Then the counselor then is going to refer
that student back to their pare.
Timeless circle there.
That's a good time to bring
in Andrew Bartline following
this policy for us this week.
So what does this policy 2050 say exactly?
Well, first,
it kind of defines these terms
that apply specifically, Brian.
So we look at these terms individually,
and it includes gender identity,
gender expression,
sexual orientation and transgenr
identity for each of these term,
after they define them,
the policy says the district will not
educate or discuss any of these topics.
And they state it's the responsibility of
the parents to have these conversations,
which is the crux of this bill
and the people who support it.
It passed behind A31 vote,
though that lone vote that oppose the
bill happened to be the only person on
the school board who's actually a teacher.
Supporters say this policy is
about protecting parental right.
However,
there is no place in my world
where the school district
becomes the parent to that chil.
They could become the caregiver or the
guardian for a certain amount of time,
but they do not become the paref
there is a parent for that child. Now.
The point being that these conversations,
the district says,
should be reserved for parents o
manage at home on an individual basis.
But the lone board member
who oppose Mandy Simpson,
the one who is a teacher,
She pointed out not every student has
an open line of communication at home
with their parents or legal guardians.
She sees it in the classroom and other
people out in the community in Nampa,
well, they see it too.
The the bulk of our age group is about 1617.
So Mandy Olden camp works at Clh
Director of Operations, a Nampa based
LGBTQ plus youth advocacy group.
A lot in a little,
all in one, all in one year.
And we just wanted to offer a
place where there was going to
be no judgment, no expectation,
just a free space for these kids
to be completely comfortable beg
themselves in their own skin,
whatever that looked like on any given day.
Why is something like that need?
I guess Nampa.
Is a place where there's a lot
of very traditional values and a
lot of very tight knit families
and that that doesn't always fit
the mold for all of these kids.
Some of them are not out in their home life,
so their parents aren't fully
aware or maybe are aware and
not accepting of who they are.
These are kids that feel ostracized by
maybe their religious upbringing or the
community in which they immediately live,
you know,
their neighborhoods,
their schools,
and they just needed a place
to come and and feel accepted.
The people who support this
policy have expressed concern
that schools are hiding things
from parents about their kids.
They're probably going to feel e
same way about your organization
when they hear what you do.
That's fair. You know,
I think it's important for parents to be
very engaged in their children's lives.
I'm super involved in my kids l.
My parents were super involved in mine.
But that has to be done in a
safe and constructive manner.
And I would hope that every part
had the tools and ability to do that.
And if they don't?
That they know that there are resources
out there and that conversations
can be had in a healthy manner o
help make that relationship bet.
So here's a copy of the policy right now.
Do you talk and work with kids o
belong to all of those groups? .
Yes. These definitions represent
our entire demographic, truthfu,
the way that this policy is wor.
Sexual orientation should
include heterosexual orientatio.
So if a teacher is not allowed o
talk about sexual orientation,
it should be on both sides of the spectrum.
It should be heterosexual, homosexual,
whatever orientation that might.
But I have a, you know,
a suspicion that that maybe note
the the case as it gets impleme.
You don't think sex Ed is goingo
prohibit heterosexual encounter?
I don't think so. So then it does feel.
Like a narrowminded discriminaty
policy feels very much like a portion
of the population is just being erased
from the the schools themselves and it
doesn't make the kids feel secure and
doesn't make the community feel safe.
You know, my concern for the kis
in this coming school year is,
is that they're really going to feel like
they don't have a place and that they
don't have a voice within their own school,
a place that they spend
the majority of their time,
so they share a lot about.
What it feels like to not feel e
they're accepted in their own skin and
what it means to really be difft
in a world that doesn't always
recognize different as a good t.
The policy also aligns with Senate Bill
1100 that passed this last legislative
session and it has been signed into law.
That bill prohibits students from using
a bathroom outside their biological sex.
This policy aligns with that exactly.
The district is determining A
student's gender based on what y
see on their birth certificate.
And this policy also outlines
compelled speech to Brian.
So hypothetically,
student comes in your classroom
and says I use they them pronou.
The teacher doesn't have to
call them they them pronouns.
If that student had a birth
certificate that says they're m,
the teacher could decide to use PM pronouns.
Mandy brings a good point.
How do you teach sex education?
If you're not allowed to talk at
a certain portion of the popula,
just pretend they don't exist.
Well, I mean,
if you align it and you're not g
biased for one side or the othe,
like gender identity, sexual orientation,
if you can't talk about them at all, I mean,
you can't teach those classes, you can't.
It's an impossibility.
Thanks, Andrew.