A Missouri Senate committee heard testimony Tuesday on legislation that would bar educators from encouraging students to pursue gender transition.
SB 1085 would require school staff to notify the principal within 24 hours of a student expressing they belong to the opposite sex and require the principal to notify the student’s parents within 72 hours.
It would require school districts to fire any “licensed educator” who engages in conduct or conversation affirming a student’s self-identification as a member of the opposite sex.
Also, any staff member who identifies an employee that encouraged a student to transition would be shielded from retaliation.
Finally, any school or district that violates the proposed law could be sued by the parents or guardian of the student, and the Attorney General could also file suit and issue restraining orders against those schools and districts.
Lauren Leggieri, co-Executive Director of the group LGB Courage Coalition testified in favor of the bill before the Mo. Senate Education Committee.
“This bill does not prevent children from expressing themselves or exploring who they are,” she said. “It asks adults to slow down before transforming a child’s discomfort into a fixed, institutionalized identity.”
Matt Sharp, an attorney with the law firm Alliance Defending Freedom, also testified in favor of the bill. He said teachers’ jobs in Missouri and elsewhere are being threatened unless they accept “radical gender ideology.”
“For example, (in) Kansas City Public Schools, their student code of conduct says, ‘school personnel may not disclose information that may reveal a learner’s transgender status or gender non-conforming presentation to others, including parents, unless legally required to do so or the learner has authorized it,’” Sharp said. “That same policy further warrants ‘persons, including learners and employees, shall be addressed by a name and pronoun that corresponds to their gender identity.
The intentional and persistent refusal to respect the gender identity of an employee or learner after notification of their preferred pronouns is a violation of this procedure.'”
Opponents testified that the bill would jeopardize trans students’ safety, violate the rights of supportive parents, and authorize school sanctioned bullying. A vote on the bill has not yet been scheduled.
Dava-Leigh Brush is a retired teacher and member of the group Missouri Equity Education Partnership.
“Teachers and counselors and educational professionals should be safe spaces for students, especially if parents are supportive of their transitioning,” Brush said. “But some waters are very difficult to navigate, and we can’t always tell when a child is going to be in jeopardy.”
Otto Fajen with Missouri NEA also opposes the bill. He testified that it could have a negative impact on education overall.
“It puts teachers and principals in difficult situations where they lose their livelihood. This, we think, will have a chilling effect on the profession. It’s going to affect people who are in the profession and people who might be thinking about coming into the profession.”
The Senate Education Committee has not yet scheduled a vote on SB 1085. It’s sponsored by Sen. Joe Nicola, R-Grain Valley.
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