Even with all 225 students, most staff members and a handful of parents inside, the Nellie Stone Johnson Community School's gymnasium was far from packed during a recent assembly. Yet the space buzzed with the kids' excited whispers.

For public schools, the bill restricts which bathrooms students can use and puts limits on discussing gender and sexuality. It also allows teachers to refer to students by their gender assigned at birth.

As superintendent of the Sto-Rox School District, Ms. Van Fossan needs enough staff to usher students and visitors through metal detectors every day and conduct background checks for visitors. An adequate number of guards must be positioned on each floor of the district’s school buildings for extra security.

Thanks to an anonymous donor, Holland Public Schools will offer 10 teachers $25,000 each year to help purchase a house within the district as long as they commit to teaching there for five years.