We need you to help stand up for trans and nonbinary students in Pueblo School District 60! Please join us for a rally at 5:30pm on Tuesday, October 22 at the D60 Administration Building (315 W. 11th St, Pueblo). Following the short rally, we will attend the Board Meeting at 6:00pm where they will debate and potentially vote on a policy regarding use of a student’s preferred name in school. We expect opposition to attend, so we need people there to speak up and represent our LGTBQ+ young people.

In the meantime:

Please email Board Member Dr. Kathy DeNiro (drkathy.deniroboe@pueblod60.org) and ask her to support LGBTQ+ young people. Suggested language can be found below.
Please email Board Members Judge Dennis Maes (dennis.maesboe@pueblod60.org) and Bill Thiebaut (william.thiebautboe@pueblod60.org) and thank them for working to protect LGBTQ+ young people.
Please sign up for Public Comment at the October 22nd Meeting. Please see below for instructions on how to provide public comment.

TELL THE D60 BOARD OF EDUCATION AND SUPERINTENDENT TO PROTECT TRANS STUDENTS

The Pueblo District 60 Board of Education is considering policy regarding non-legal name changes (using student’s preferred names in school). During first reading of the policy, Board President Pannunzio asked about automatic notification of parents and administrator approval when a student requests to use a different name than appears on the school’s roster - which we know would put trans students at risk. The meeting is available to watch here: https://vimeo.com/991590601#t=5835s. The discussion on this particular policy starts at 1:37:15 and that link should begin playing at that point.

Please email the board or sign up to provide public comment at their next meeting!

UPDATE 10/4/2024: The District 60 Board of Education will discuss Policy ACA Student (Non-Legal) Name Changes during their October 8th meeting. There will not be an opportunity for public comment, but it also seems they will not be voting until a later meeting. Please email the board and encourage them to ensure the policy protects trans students. Please plan to attend the meeting if possible on October 8th at 5:30pm at the D60 Administrative Services Center (315 W. 11th St., Pueblo, CO). You can also watch online here: https://vimeo.com/event/4599435. The agenda and policy drafts can be accessed here: https://pueblo.ic-board.com.

UPDATE 8/27/2024: At tonight’s board meeting there were 5 people who provided public comment - three of them were encouraging the board and superintendent to support transgender students! B.O.E. Member Thiebaut indicated he had received dozens of emails. The board did not take action on Policy ACA during the meeting, so it is expected second reading and final adoption will take place at a meeting in September. We will keep everyone updated in regard to which meeting this will occur - so there’s still time to contact the board and encourage them to support transgender and gender expansive students in Pueblo!

EMAIL THE D60 BOARD OF EDUCATION

Send an email to: susan.pannunzioboe@pueblod60.org, drkathy.deniroboe@pueblod60.org, brian.cisnerosboe@pueblod60.org, dennis.maesboe@pueblod60.org, william.thiebautboe@pueblod60.org, barbara.kimzey@pueblod60.org

Subject: Protect Trans Students

Body (PLEASE EDIT BEFORE SENDING): District 60 Board of Education Members and Superintendent Kimzey,

My name is [Insert Name] and I am a concerned [Parent, Student, Teacher, Community Member, etc.]. I am urging you to keep the safety of transgender students in mind as you consider final adoption of Policy ACA.

Automatic, required notification of parents when a student requests to use a preferred name at school puts transgender students mental and physical safety and their lives at risk.

[Insert personal story or statistics for the board to consider in relation to this policy].

Thank you for keeping the safety and lives of transgender students in mind while you consider Policy ACA.

Sincerely,

[Name and Contact Info]

PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT AT A MEETING

The next D60 Board of Education Meeting with public comments is scheduled for Tuesday, October 22 at 6:00pm and takes place at the D60 Administration Building (315 W. 11th Street, Pueblo). See below for directions on how to provide public comment or join the audience at the meeting to show support for our LGTBQ+ Students in Pueblo!

Instructions from D60: A person or representative of a group or organization intending to speak in-person during the public comment portion of the meeting shall be required to sign up prior to the beginning of the meeting. The sign-up sheet for public comment shall be available in the Office of the Board Secretary during the regular business hours of 7:30 am – 5:00 pm starting the day before the meeting; thereafter, it will be available in the Arapahoe Room of the Administrative Services Center from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Alternatively, a voicemail box has been set up to allow citizens to record public comments at its regular meeting. Citizens wishing to record their message are instructed to call (719) 549-7178 starting at 7:30 am the day before the meeting up until 12:00 pm the day of the meeting to record your comments. Each message is limited to a recording length of three (3) minutes. Only one recording per caller will be accepted and only the first five (5) voicemail messages received will be played publicly during the time reserved for public comments during the meeting. If there are five or fewer speakers who have signed up for in-person comment at the meeting, additional voicemail comments will be played up to an overall total of ten public comments. All messages will be time-stamped to ensure that they were received within the allowed time frame.

STATISTICS AND DATA TO SUPPORT THE REQUEST

Local data from the Health Kids Colorado Survey, specifically from their High School Region 7 which is the whole of Pueblo County. Out of 2,922 high school respondents, 99 or 3.5% identified as transgender.

Among students that were bullied in the last 12 months, the percentage who were bullied because of gender identity: 79.3% of transgender students compared to 8.3% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who did not go to school on one or more of the past 30 days because they felt they would be unsafe at school or on their way to or from school: 18.4% of transgender students compared to 14.2% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who purposely hurt themselves without wanting to die in the past 12 months: 60.7% of transgender students compared to 14% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row during the past 12 months that they stopped doing some usual activities: 67.9% of transgender students compared to 29.3% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who seriously considered attempting suicide during the past 12 months: 54.4% of transgender students compared to 12.2% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who made a plan about how they would attempt suicide during the past 12 months: 43.3% of transgender students compared to 10.6% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who attempted suicide one or more times during the past 12 months: 24.9% of transgender students compared to 6.4% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who would tell their parents or guardians if they were concerned about their own or someone else’s well-being or mental health: 19.9% of transgender students compared to 49.1% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who would tell another trusted adult (who is not their parents or guardians) if they were concerned about their own or someone else’s well-being or mental health: 36.2% of transgender students compared to 46.3% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who most of the time or always felt confident with their body image during the past 30 days: 17.7% of transgender students compared to 43.2% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who most of the time or always worried about their physical appearance more than they wanted to during the past 30 days: 71.0% of transgender students compared to 43.7% of their peers.
Percentage of students who usually or definitely could ask their parents or guardians for help with a personal problem: 48.9% of transgender students compared to 81% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who agree or strongly agree that they belong at their school: 40.5% of transgender students compared to 65.4% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who talked to a teacher about their future plans after high school in the past 12 months: 54.5% of transgender students compared to 42.9% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who talked to another school staff member (who is not a school counselor, teacher, administrator, or couch) about their future plans after high school in the past 12 months: 21.0% of transgender students compared to 13.7% of their cisgender peers.
Percentage of students who usually or definitely feel safe at school: 74.5% of transgender students compared to 90.1 of their cisgender peers.

According to a national survey from the Trevor Project, more than half (54%) of transgender and nonbinary young people found their school to be gender-affirming, and those who did reported lower rates of attempting suicide. The same survey indicated that nearly half (46%) of transgender and nonbinary young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. In regards to access to affirming spaces and communities, only 40% of LGTBQ+ young people identified their home as an affirming space and that percentage decreases when taking only transgender and nonbinary young people into account. Students that do not have affirming spaces at home or school have a increased chance of attempting suicide by 4% in either category.