Students | Transgender Rights | Vermont

All Vermont public school students have the right:

• Pour être en sécurité à l’école sans être victime d’intimidation,
• Pour accéder à des informations sur les sujets LGBTQ+, y compris les sites Web éducatifs,
• S'habiller et se présenter d'une manière cohérente avec son identité de genre,
• À la liberté d'expression. Cela signifie que vous avez le droit d'exprimer des idées susceptibles d'offenser autrui et d'être en désaccord avec autrui, à condition de les exprimer de manière respectueuse.

All Vermont public and many private school students have the right:

• To be protected from discrimination or harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status,
• To form a Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) that gets treated the same as every other non-curricular group. This means equal funding, access to facilities, and the ability to choose your group’s name.

Outside of school you have the right:

• Être protégé contre toute discrimination fondée sur votre orientation sexuelle réelle ou perçue, votre statut VIH ou votre identité de genre dans l’emploi, le logement et les lieux publics (comme les restaurants ou les magasins).
• To give your own consent to get tested for HIV without your parents’ permission. For more specific information, see the “HIV/AIDS” Issue Area.
• Signaler à la police toute personne, à l’intérieur ou à l’extérieur de l’école, qui vous fait du mal physiquement, vous menace ou vandalise vos biens.

Visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Resources for LGBTQI+ Students page for more information on what you can do if you experience discrimination.

Yes. It is the policy of the state of Vermont that all Vermont educational institutions provide “safe, orderly, civil and positive learning environments.  Harassment, hazing and bullying have no place and will not be tolerated in Vermont schools” (16 V.S.A § 570).

Bullying is defined as an act (including an electronic one) directed against a student by another student or group of students that:

1. is repeated over time;
2. is intended to ridicule, humiliate or intimidate; and
3. substantially interferes with a student’s right to a safe education regardless of whether it happens on or off school grounds (16 V.S.A § 11(a)(32)).

^​Harassment is defined as verbal, written, visual, or physical conduct (including by electronic means) motivated by a student’s or student’s family member’s actual or perceived characteristic such as sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or HIV status that is intended to:

1. substantially interfere with educational performance or access to school resources; or
2. create an intimidating or hostile environment (16 V.S.A. § 11(a)(26)(A)).

^​Hazing is defined as any act against a student who is involved with a student organization which is intended to humiliate, intimidate, or demean the student or endanger the physical or mental health of the student (16 V.S.A. § 11(a)(30)(A)).

All public and approved independent schools must develop, adopt, ensure the enforcement of, and make available to all students, staff, and parents, bullying, harassment and hazing prevention policies that shall be at least as stringent as the model policies developed by the Vermont Department of Education (16 V.S.A. § 570(b)). The model policies can be found ici.

All of these policies must include:

1. Annually notifying the students, staff and parents about the policies and procedures;
2. A procedure that directs students, staff and parents to report violations and file complaints;
3. A procedure for investigating reports of violations and complaints;
4. A description of the circumstances under which the violation may be reported to a law enforcement agency;
5. Consequences and appropriate remedial action for those who violate the policy;
6. A description of the training that teachers and other staff will receive in preventing, recognizing and responding to violations; and
7. Designation of two or more people at each school to receive complaints (16 V.S.A. §§ 570a (harassment), 570b (hazing), 570c (bullying)).

Yes, the US Supreme Court in District scolaire de Mahanoy c. BL affirmed in addition to concluding that students have broad speech and expression rights outside of school, also stated:

“Circumstances that may implicate a school’s regulatory interests [outside school] include serious or severe bullying or harassment targeting particular individuals; threats aimed at teachers or other students…”

Oui, le Titre IX interdit toute discrimination fondée sur le sexe à l'encontre des étudiants dans tout établissement d'enseignement supérieur bénéficiant de fonds fédéraux. Suite à l'arrêt de la Cour suprême dans l'affaire Bostock c. Clayton County, qui a établi que la discrimination fondée sur l'orientation sexuelle et l'identité de genre constituait une forme de discrimination sexuelle, le ministère fédéral de l'Éducation, chargé de l'application du Titre IX, a déclaré qu'il interpréterait toute discrimination fondée sur l'orientation sexuelle ou l'identité de genre comme une discrimination sexuelle.

Pour déposer une plainte auprès du Bureau des droits civils du ministère fédéral de l'Éducation, voir :  Comment déposer une plainte pour discrimination auprès du Bureau des droits civils.

Les plaintes peuvent être déposées auprès du coordinateur du Titre IX de votre école, ainsi qu'auprès de :

Bureau des droits civils
Le ministère américain de l'Éducation
Bureau de poste et palais de justice John W. McCormack, salle 222
Place de la Poste
Boston, MA 02109

De plus, certains types de discrimination et de harcèlement peuvent violer les droits constitutionnels d’un étudiant.

There are many ways to approach the issue.  One is to ask for support from a friend, teacher or counselor. When harassed, if you feel safe, you may wish to speak to the perpetrators.

In addition, read your school policies and notify whoever is supposed to be notified—usually a vice principal or Title IX coordinator.  You should document any incidents of harassment or discrimination in writing.  Once you meet with the right officials, make a note of what you told them and on what date and ask when they will be getting back to you with a response.  If they don’t help you or don’t follow through, you may wish to write to the principal and superintendent and ask for them to end the discrimination.  Keep copies of all documentation for future reference.

At the same time, or after contacting the administration as set out above, you may want to contact the Safe Schools Program of the Vermont Department of Education.  This program is responsible for implementing initiatives related to the equal educational opportunities and anti-harassment provisions discussed above.  You can reach them at:

Safe Schools Program
Vermont Department of Education
120 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05620-2501
(802) 828-3130
http://www.state.vt.us/educ/new/html/pgm_safeschools.html

Alternatively, since schools are considered public accommodations in Vermont, you may want to file a complaint with the Vermont Human Rights Commission (see discussion of Public Accommodations above) or other legal action.  Contact Réponses GLAD for assistance and attorney referrals.