What pronoun should an educator use when addressing a transgender student? What restroom and changing room should that student use? How can educators create a safe environment free of harassment and bullying for these students in their school?

These are a few of the questions addressed as part of the six-hour training in the Dignity for All Students Act, which is now required for state certification.

“There is more confusion about how to meet the needs of the transgender community than the gay, lesbian and bisexual student community because administrators are unsure how accommodations will play out in their schools,” noted Adhim DeVeaux, the coordinator of the UFT’s DASA training. “They see the need but feel uncomfortable about how to address it and how to lead conversations about the LGBT community.”

The New York State Education Department has taken the lead in providing new guidelines to school districts throughout the state on ways to provide a safe educational environment for transgender students. The guidelines, released in June, address practical issues like pronoun use and restroom access. If a transgender student asks to be called by a different name, educators should agree to the request, and transgender students must be allowed to use bathrooms conforming to their new gender identity.

The state guidelines also include information to help districts comply with local, state and federal laws concerning bullying, harassment, discrimination and student privacy as part of implementing the Dignity for All Students Act.

DeVeaux noted that the DASA workshops offer guidance in navigating real-life situations.

“I’ve witnessed situations colleagues faced where the strategies I learned in this workshop could have been implemented,” wrote a Queens paraprofessional in an evaluation form she filled out following the UFT workshop.

Darlene Post, a social worker at the Eagle Academy for Young Men of Harlem and a key figure in the design and implementation of DASA training, said upcoming workshops would look more closely at ways to assist staff in supporting transgender students.

“It takes all of us, not just guidance counselors and social workers, to make schools welcoming to all our students,” Post said.