Comptroller Stringer Calls on City to Make NYC Public Schools More Inclusive for Nonbinary and Gender Non-Conforming Students

 

Stringer spotlights inability of nonbinary and gender non-conforming students to change their name in the DOE’s online system

Stringer calls on the City to allow students to identify as they choose in the DOE’s ecosystem of online learning and to protect LGBTQ+ students from bullying and harassment

 New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer called on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York City Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor Richard Carranza to allow nonbinary and gender non-conforming students the ability to choose their own gender identity in the DOE’s administrative remote learning ecosystem. The Comptroller’s letter follows reports from concerned parents that their children are being forced to choose between only male or female in the online portal for students to participate in school instruction. Comptroller Stringer emphasized that as the largest school district in the nation with 1.1 million children, New York City’s public school system should be a leader in ensuring that every child, no matter their gender, gender identity or expression, is treated equally with respect and can learn in a welcoming environment.

Comptroller Stringer requested answers from the City to questions related to what the DOE is doing to accommodate all students in the school system, including nonbinary and gender non-conforming students; how the DOE will recognize nonbinary students in its administrative functions and through the online remote learning environment; what steps the DOE will take to ensure each child feels welcome especially amid a rise in online bullying and as children will be learning remotely at least half of their school time; what ways the DOE is supporting schools to equip students to know their rights and voice their concerns about these and other issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community; whether teachers, administrators, and staff are properly trained on how to create safe and affirming spaces for nonbinary and gender non-conforming students both in the classroom and online through remote learning, and how the DOE will include nonbinary and gender non-conforming students, parents, and guardians in these important conversations.

The full text of the letter can be found here.