School board takes up transgender issues on Tuesday

A proposal to adopt a policy on whether transgender students may participate in sports or use the bathrooms and locker rooms goes before the Douglas County School Board of Trustees on Tuesday.

According to the agenda for the meeting, the board will debate whether students must use the facilities and participate in sports based on their biological gender at birth.

The school board meets 4 p.m. May 16 at the Airport Training Center on Airport Road, Building G-1.

The board will also discuss action on a policy regarding school materials.

The policies stem from last year’s election where three school board members won on a platform of banning critical race theory and a variety of other conservative cultural issues.

While running on a platform of transparency, the board under its new leadership has already been subject to at least two open meeting law complaints, including one claiming the appointment of Susan Jansen as president was orchestrated on email before the public vote.

A complaint over the approval of a grant funding policy in February resulted in an April 27 board meeting to rescind the action and then reapprove it.

The Record-Courier has reached out to the Nevada Attorney General’s Office regarding the complaints. Results of those investigations usually take a year to resolve.

Also on Tuesday’s agenda is discussion of adopting the district’s final $65.8 million budget. There have been no changes since approval of the tentative budget.

Because the Nevada Legislature is still debating the state budget, which has a large impact on Nevada school districts, the budget will likely have to be amended.

Under state law, local governments must have their budgets complete by mid-May.