Weymouth-German, Jessica Cluverius2024-05-162024-05-162024-05-14vt_gsexam:39801https://hdl.handle.net/10919/118988The purpose of this study was to find out about school board decision making regarding the treatment of transgender students in Virginia's public schools' policies. The research questions were (1) What is involved in deciding to adopt policies addressing equitable treatment of, and access to education for, transgender students? (2) What influences school boards' adoption of educational equity policies? Participants and school divisions were selected based on their participation in policy decision making for the equitable treatment of transgender students. Data collection involved a one-on-one interview with a school board member and recordings of local school board meetings, committee meetings, and workshops. Common themes were developed through multiple readings of interview and meeting transcripts. Major findings include policy alignment with beliefs and values, trust between stakeholders, legal status of the policy and related topics, implementation and real-world scenarios, and decision makers' background and experiences. Additional data points evidenced community input, advice of school division staff, timing in relation to other contextual events, the political landscape, and equity discussions also impact school board decision making. Suggestions for policymakers involve focusing on creating systems to ensure equitable access to decision making for varied populations and creating frameworks for impartial decisions when controversy is involved. Implications for practitioners are also explored: (a) learning about policy decision makers' backgrounds, beliefs and experiences; (b) preparing presentations and information based on top factors impacting decision making and (c) focusing on implementation outcomes with community input. These results may impact adoption of educational equity policies more efficiently by school boards, potentially resulting in supporting previously excluded student groups' access to equal education and increased success, no matter their identity.ETDenIn Copyrighteducation policyequitydecision makingpolicy adoptiontransgenderDissertation