State law changes require BOE policy updates

The Putnam County Board of Education recently updated several policies during its August meeting.

 

One policy deals with interscholastic athletics. The update, in accordance with state law, states that sex shall be defined as the “immutable characteristics of the person’s reproductive system that identify the person as male or female, as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth.”

 

The law requires a student’s gender for purposes of participation in a public middle school or high school interscholastic athletic activity or event be determined by the student’s sex at the time of the student’s birth, as indicated on the student’s original birth certificate.

 

The law was passed in 2021, but was challenged by transgender rights groups. The Supreme Court recently upheld the law, making Tennessee the third state to address this issue on the books.

 

The update also addresses private school student participation, saying that students from private schools are permitted to try out for interscholastic athletic teams but does not guarantee they will make the team.

 

It also lays out the conditions, saying that private school students must attend a private school that is not a member with TSSAA or TMSAA and serves fewer than 200 students in grades 6-8 or fewer than two hundred students in grades 9-12; satisfy the eligibility requirements established by TSSAA or TMSAA; and reside within the geographic boundaries of the district.

 

The full update is available on the school system’s website.

 

Other policies updated include: