District's top priority is to make students feel safe

Hot Springs County School District Superintendent Dustin Hunt said the district’s top priority, as far as the recent guidance issued May 13 by the Obama administration, which directs public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom matching their gender identity, is to make all students feel comfortable and safe in school.

The guidance issued by the Obama administration does not have the full force of law, but it does contain an implicit threat, stating that schools that do not abide by the administration’s interpretation of the law could face a loss of federal aid or lawsuits.

Hunt said if the guidance becomes law, the district will follow the law.

“Should the Tenth Circuit Court of the United States Supreme Court pass legislation, we will follow the law to the extent of the legislation and take into consideration our community norms,” he said. “We have a lot of policies already in place to protect students from the things most people are afraid of. Those will cover the majority of the fears or problems that students or staff may face.”

Some of the policies already in place to protect students include harassment policies, sexual harassment policies, bullying policies and Title IX, which states that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or be subjects to discrimination under an education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

Hunt said the district intends to handle every situation on a case-by-case basis.

“What we will do as a district is handle every situation on a case-by-case basis, giving every student respect and dignity, regardless of how they might identify,” he said.