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LCS' Pons Responds To ACLU Complaint Over Gender-Neutral Student

The ACLU of Florida has written a letter to the Leon County School District. The group is concerned about the treatment of a student who identifies as gender neutral being told me was violating the school dress code. In a response, Pons say there’s no policy that says students have to dress a certain way based on gender.

In a response to the ACLU of Florida, Pons says the district is investigating the incident at Fairview Middle School and if there is a violation of board policy or state or federal law, he’ll take "appropriate disciplinary action."

A student at Fairview who identifies as gender-neutral was told he violated  school dress code. According to the Tallahassee Democrat, “The eight-grade student's parents were called asking them to bring a change of clothes for the student who was wearing a dress.”  

Training for school administrators on transgender issues has been set for Wednesday. They’ll also review the district’s dress code policy. Pons says he’ll also review dress code policies at schools to make sure they conform with the law.

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Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University and Florida State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master's in Professional Communication. Lynn has been with WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She has worked with several organizations, including Kaiser Health News.  Lynn has also partnered with USC-Annenberg's Center for Child Wellbeing on the nationally acclaimed series "Committed," which explored the prevalence of involuntary commitment use on children.
She serves on the board of RTDNA and the United Way of the Big Bend, with previous service on the board of the First Amendment Foundation of Florida.

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