URBANDALE, Iowa — Members of the Urbandale School Board voted to reject the removal of gender identity from one of the district’s policies.

During a work session meeting on Monday evening, the school board discussed proposed changes to the district’s Multi-Cultural, Gender Fair Program. According to the school board’s website the policy says:

Students will have an equal opportunity for a quality education without discrimination, regardless of their race, religion, creed, color, sex, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

The educational program, including curriculum, content, and instructional materials utilized by Urbandale Community Schools, will reflect the cultural racial diversity present in the United States of America and the variety of careers, roles, and lifestyles open to all genders in our society. The curriculum will foster knowledge of, respect, and appreciation for the historical and contemporary contributions of diverse cultural groups, including race, color, national origin, gender, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, creed, and socioeconomic background. The contributions and perspectives of our diverse student body shall be included in the program.

The proposed changes would have removed the mention of gender identity from the policy to align with a law passed during the last legislative session that removed gender identity as a protected class under the state’s civil rights code.

Several school districts across the state have made similar changes to their nondiscrimination policies. However, in a 6 to 1 vote the Urbandale School Board rejected the change.