All public schools in California are required to offer Identity Support Plans (IDSP) for LGBTQ+ students in elementary, middle, and high school. In accordance with this policy, the Pacific Southwest Center collaborated with a group of school mental health specialists to develop a set of tools to aid districts in making educational spaces safe and supportive for ALL students, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.
This webpage houses the two sets of Identity Support Plan tools that are available for school personnel use: one for elementary school students and one for middle and high school students.
You will also find recordings of a companion training led by the authors of the tools. The training is broken into two parts: Part 1 is the training itself and Part 2 is a panel discussion among transgender and gender diverse (TGD) school-based professionals. The panelists offer considerations and recommendations for drafting and implementing Identity Support Plans that affirm and accommodate TGD gender identities.
This Identity Support Plan tool is a Word document, intended to serve as a downloadable and printable form to be filled out collaboratively by elementary school staff, the student, and the student’s caregiver(s), to ensure that the student feels safe in classrooms and across the school environment. The Identity Support Plan for Elementary (IDSPE) outlines the student’s rights and provides information on available accommodations, such as updating the student’s gender pronouns, creating a classroom inclusivity plan, ensuring restroom safety and access, and more. It also gives students a chance to share and express how they feel about their name and gender expression or identity. This form was created to help gender-diverse students share anything about their learning environment that might make them feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
Identity Support Plan for Elementary (IDSPE) Explainer
This document explains the Identity Support Plan for Elementary (IDSPE) process, provides guidance about how to use the IDSPE tool, and offers strategies and discussion tips that school staff can use when working with caregivers and students. An Identity Support Plan for Elementary (IDSPE) supports public school staff in California to work with gender-diverse students, and potentially their caregivers, to identify strategies for ensuring that their identity is respected and supported. The IDSPE process fosters an educational environment that is safe and supportive for ALL students, and it serves as an effective tool to help guide school staff conversations with families, other caregivers, and children.
This tool guides California public middle and high school personnel through the development of a plan to support LGBTQ+ students’ identity, success, and safety at school. It is a Word document and may be downloaded and printed (as a hard copy) for school staff, caregivers, and the student to collaboratively complete the document. Similar to the IDSPE, the Identity Support Plan for Secondary outlines the student’s rights and provides information on available accommodations, such as updating the student’s name and gender pronouns, creating a classroom inclusivity plan, ensuring restroom safety and access, and more. This tool supports districts’ commitment to making educational spaces safe and supportive for ALL students, with respect to their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.
Identity Support Plan for Secondary: Interviewer Preparation Document
This “Explainer” document describes the IDSP process, provides guidance about how to use the IDSP tool, and offers strategies and discussion tips that school staff can use when working with caregivers and students. The IDSP for secondary schools supports public middle and high school staff in California to work with gender-diverse students, and potentially their caregivers, to identify ways in which the student’s identity is respected and supported at school. The IDSP process fosters an educational environment that is safe and supportive for ALL students, and it serves as an effective tool to help guide school staff through conversations with families, other caregivers, and children.
This workshop was delivered by the Pacific Southwest MHTTC staff and a team of specialists in Orange County, California, in September, 2023. The training offers pathways of support that education personnel can provide for TGD students in affirming their gender identity in school. The workshop offers a dynamic overview of how to utilize Identity Support Plans (IDSPs) to make educational spaces safe and inclusive, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.
Meeting the Moment is designed for all education personnel and is structured in five sections to assist school-based mental health providers, administrators, and other professionals with the following learning objectives:
Gain an understanding of:
This panel discussion with TGD professionals expands upon the Part 1 Meeting the Moment Training component of the workshop. This discussion highlights the panelists’ personal and professional experiences working with TGD students. They offer considerations and recommendations for drafting and implementing Identity Support Plans (IDSPs) that affirm TGD gender identities schools.
This Meeting the Moment Part 2 Panel video is designed for all education personnel (including school-based mental health providers, administrators, and other professionals) and features seven topical sections:
Gain an understanding of:
