Numerous members of the public turned out during a July 22 Sarasota County School Board meeting, as the board voted 3-2 to approve for advertising an amended version of its student code of conduct.
Speakers criticized revisions that remove the enumeration of specific protections for students in categories that include race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
The new code of conduct emphasizes discrimination, as well as bullying and harassment, will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and states that it covers “any protected classification recognized by state or federal law.”…