PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Jamie Remsberg, a transgendered person, went to school in Pasco County and said he knows what it means to have a safe space for people like him and other LGTBQ students.
“I know how important it is to be able to go to someone when you don’t feel like anyone is going to listen to you. And know how important it is to have a safe space so when something happens and you don’t feel empowered to report it, someone can be there to empower you," he said.
Earlier this month Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning instructed schools to remove Safe Space stickers from schools, citing Florida’s new Parental Rights in Education law.
Under the law, schools are required to inform parents about changes related to students' mental, emotional or physical health or well-being.
The district said they don’t want any misunderstandings and that what students tell school staff won’t be repeated.
“He could have easily just issued a memo that said these stickers do not indicate any level of confidentiality and should not be taken as such," said Jessica Jecusco-Wright, who heads up the Pasco Democratic Public Education Caucus.
Other districts in Florida have also called for the removal of safe stickers, but we found some still up in Pinellas County.
“They can take our stickers if they want to. But the reality is we are still going to show up for kids. And we are still going to be there for kids and support them in every way we know how," said Jecusco-Wight.
Meanwhile, Remsberg said while he has supportive parents at home others really need teachers to lean on.
“When your student goes home to a transphobic or homophobic household you need to keep that secret to keep your student safe. And that student should be able to confide in you with what’s going on," said Remsberg.
Pasco’s superintendent told staff schools should be a safe place for all students with or without stickers.
He added that schools will still be expected to “promote and maintain a tolerant and diverse educational environment.”
Dozens showed up to Monday night's school board meeting to protest the move— like Myndee Washington who told ABC Action News that the stickers seem small but provide a big message to LGBTQ youth.
"We see you, we accept you just the way you are," she said.
Washington said forcing students to "guess" about who is safe to talk to in school could lead to dire consequences.
"These students face the possibility of being outed by an unfriendly teacher to their parents and they may come from a household where that could result in them being turned out of their home. We have a huge population of LGBTQ teens. It could result in physical violence," she said.
16-year-old Maggie Groomes and her mom, Becky, said the loss of those "safe spaces" has been devastating.
"I've had many friends who've had panic attacks in the middle of school because someone misgendered them, they had a spiral or something and they didn't really have anyone to go to," said Maggie.
In response, Superintendent Kurt Browning reminded the crowds that the change was happening because of a change to the law.
"Whether you agree or disagree with the law. The law is the law," he said, "So when teachers continue to think that they can have private personal conversations with students they are wrong. They run the risk of litigation."
Browning went on to say that the district supports all students, and he urged angry people to take their concerns to Tallahassee.
"Who you ought to be talking to about this law are members of the Florida Legislature. You need to be talking to the Governor of the state," Browning said.
That said, those who came out Monday to protest claim that the district is misinterpreting the law and say they will continue to fight this change.
