When New York Elementary School third grade teacher John Bode was in high school, coming out as gay or lesbian was unheard of. Many of his high school friends didn’t come out until after graduation, when they felt they would be more accepted.

“As I became a teacher and started to understand that children don’t come into this world with [prejudgements], I felt like that was another set of prejudices that we didn’t need to pass on to our children,” Bode said. “I think that making school and the rest of the world safe for them is what everyone else would want.”

Many students in the school district identify in the LGBT+ community. Because of this, the school board has added new goals to the equity policy regarding students and teachers. However, the policy itself has not changed. Now, the board plans to ‘investigate issues related to LGBT+ students and implement supports as needed’.

Some students feel more than welcomed, while others feel they do not fit in. Despite these difficulties, Lawrence schools are generally filled with teachers who support their students. One of these teachers, choir director Hilary Morton, is more than willing to help any student who comes her way.

“I absolutely support LGBTQ to be added to our equity policy,” Morton said. “Equity is more than race. It is more than socio-economic backgrounds. Our school community is determined to reach out to every student and help every student succeed.”

Although new goals have been added, the equity policy isn’t new.

“[LGBT+ students] have been in the anti-discrimination policy for a long time, so that’s not a recent addition,” school board superintendent Rick Doll said.

Math teacher Annette McDonald said all teachers should be supportive of the LGBT+ community.

“All teachers go to diversity training which allows us to have an open mind and understand other people’s stories or their feelings, or where they’re coming from,” McDonald said.

While McDonald believes student diversity is important, she also believes it is important to respect the parents’ choice regarding sexuality and gender of students.

“I have to respect what the parent wants,” McDonald said. “Before I make any adjustments as per requested by the student, I think it’s important to respect the parent, especially if [the students] are underage.”

The school board decided to implement the new policy to prevent gender identity, or other sexual identity concerns, from becoming a problem for students in learning environments.

“I always feel that whether it’s sexual identity, race, or gender, that should not impact in any way, shape, or form, the education that they should get,” Doll said.