Utah school districts are legally obligated to require staff to tell parents whether their child is “transgender,” according to a document obtained by Parenting Education (PDE) and shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. I was informed that there was no such thing.
The Weber School District advised teachers that they do not need to inform parents if a child wants to use pronouns different from those that match their biological sex. according to On the document. The document also encourages teachers to refer students to administrators and assist students who wish to change their gender identity. (Related article: 'Disheartening stories': Years after the pandemic, teachers continue to flee the profession)
“The Weber School District trains teachers to hide a child's gender identity from parents. The district informs teachers that they are 'not legally required' to tell parents about their child's gender identity.” This is a deliberate violation of parental rights. This is a travesty designed to destroy parent-child relationships in the district,” PDE Vice President Caroline Moore told DCNF.
One document, entitled “Responding to the Requests of Transgender Students,” states that teachers are under no “legal obligation” to inform parents if a student claims to be transgender, and that they are not required to do so. It also states that it is “not legally prohibited.” It also states that parents' consent is not required for teachers to use a student's “preferred name or pronouns,” but reminds them that the step is to contact the administration.
People dance under a giant Pride flag during the 2023 LA Pride Parade in Hollywood, California on June 11, 2023. (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
One PowerPoint, titled “Practice and Procedures,” dated August 2022, states that staff must comply with parents' requests to refer to students only by their “legal name and legal pronouns,” and , parents who might be against this matter were also given advice on how to handle it.
“If the parents are still together, please abide by the wishes of the parents in the best interest of the student and in support of the student’s gender identity, and that this is a family matter and needs to be resolved between the parents.” Please tell your parents,'' the PowerPoint says. “If your parents are divorced, first refer to court documents to determine which parent has educational decision-making authority. Please do the same thing you would do.”
Administrators are advised to “encourage student parent involvement,” according to the PowerPoint. Some lines are suggested at the beginning of the conversation. For example, “'We've found that it's always best when parents work together. We can work together as a team to support you at school.'”
“We know that transgender students have a lot to understand at school, including the use of alternative names, pronouns, and accommodations. , always helpful,” reads another line.
Staff will also be required to notify parents of a student's gender identity in cases where it is possible to “clearly communicate that the student is at risk,” such as suicidal thoughts or self-harm. However, it is clarified that “students are not allowed to reveal their preferred pronouns.'' That alone does not rise to the point of putting students at risk,” the slide deck states.
Some schools across the United States have policies that hide students' gender identities from parents.
In 2021, the Southern Lehigh School District in Pennsylvania recommended that teachers hide students' preferred names and pronouns from parents, and in May 2022, it began disclosing information about the gender identity of students who had been bullied. There were also cases where it was withheld. Several unified school districts, including Los Angeles, Chicago Public Schools and New York Public Schools, have policies in place that hide the transgender identity of students from parents.
The Weber School District did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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