This blog post was written in anticipation of our upcoming workshop for educators and other professionals, “Love Notes 💜 to Policies.” Click here to learn more and sign up!

There are times when students do things that we wish they wouldn’t, especially around topics of sexuality and sexuality education. Things that are connected to identity and bodily autonomy. Things that aren’t good or kind or in alignment with the values our schools and organizations work to uphold. Things that are disruptive or distracting or even against the law. (Sometimes teachers and administrators and parents also do things like this that we wish they wouldn’t!) So we write policies and procedures and set up practices to reduce the likelihood of all of the people associated with our schools from acting in problematic ways. Most people, though, when I bring up policies, sigh. Folks often know that policies are necessary, but spending their considerably limited time writing policy is rarely what people would call exciting.

But I am here to change your mind!

Rather than simply being necessary, policies form the bedrock of an organization’s or school’s culture, informing the reader not just of step-by-step processes involved, but of the essential nature of the organization’s or school’s value system. They are the tome that brings us solace and direction in times of uncertainty and hardship. They are the Vygotskian scaffolding to our learning towers of playdoh. They are necessary for everything else to work and they are also fun to build and climb around on!

Policy doesn’t need to be dry and boring – it can also be well written and creative and personalized!

I’ve read so many awful policies, most are just not worth the time to tell you about them. And I’ve read so many good policies! One of the things I love the most about reading policies is that they all have a unique fingerprint that tells so much about the administration, organization, and individual people at the helm of the organization or school. This is especially true for the policies that are written in plain language – so that students and teachers and generally non-lawyer-types can access them too, as is their right.

Policy doesn’t have to be difficult to read – in fact it should be accessible at at 7th grade reading level.

Policies lets people know what an organization’s values are – it is an expression of care and support. They offer protections for everyone involved in an organization, but especially for people who are at higher risk of disadvantage because of their roles or identities.

Policy is an expression of care and rights!

And even if I haven’t convinced you that policies can be fun yet, here are some (but not all!) topics related to sexuality and sexuality education that policies should cover to underscore their importance:

• Bathrooms, gyms, and other gendered spaces (Are they all binary gendered spaces? What about nonbinary inclusion? How will a student who is coming out as trans be protected in these spaces? Where else in the school are things gendered, like with sports awards?)
• Dating students (Are there policies on acceptable age spreads between dating students? What happens when an older student may be taking advantage of a younger student? Are there different policies about bathrooms, gyms, and other gendered and/or potentially private spaces for dating couples?)
• Dress code (Who decides it? How is it justified? Who enforces it? How is it made clear that the enforcers of the dress code are not seen as creepy? Is it gender specific? If so, why and how?)
• Gender identity (Who chooses pronouns – parents or students? Who chooses names and/or nicknames – parents or students? How does the school communicate with parents around these issues? What is the process for changing a student’s name or gender marker?)
• Sexual harassment, assault, and rape (What do these words mean in a practical sense? What happens if they happen on school grounds? On a field trip? Outside of school, but between two students? Digitally, either during the school day or after school hours? Who should a student reach out to if they have experienced any of these things? How will the school offer protections to everyone involved? When and how are parents involved?)
• Sexuality education (What is the content, scope, and sequence? Who decides it and makes changes to it over time? Which identities are included? How medically accurate is it required to be? Is sexuality education opt-in, opt-out, or mandatory participation? How is all of this information communicated to parents and students?)
• Pregnancy and parenting students (Are pregnant students allowed to stay at the school? If not, what about the father of the baby? What about parenting students? What kinds of support will or won’t the school offer during maternity leave? Does the school offer free or reduce day care for students’ children?)
• And so many more! (Among other things, how are each of these issues addressed by local, state, and federal laws?)

While you might think that your school or organization’s approach to these issues is obvious – or the most common one – or the right one – there are actually many approaches and answers to these complex questions. Reading other policies to see how they are the same or different from yours is a critical part of the process.

All of which is to say, policies around these topics cover a huge portion of school life and they are not inherently straight forward. And addressing them can be fun! 😃 So dive in, re-read what you’ve already got written, decide what else you need, and come consult with us if you need specific help with anything.