New York Schools to Hide Children’s Gender Identity From Parents

Teachers line up their students before entering PS 179 elementary school in New York City in a file image. Mark Lennihan/AP Photo

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has released a new guidance report encouraging schools to keep the gender identities of students a secret from their families and insisting that a child’s preferred gender identity be readily accepted.

“School personnel’s acceptance of a student’s asserted gender identity should require no more than a statement from the student expressing their preference. Schools do not need to require permission, letters from professionals, or other proof of gender identity,” the NYSED report (pdf) reads.

It goes on to state that some transgender and gender expansive (TGE) students may have kept their gender identities hidden from their families because of “safety concerns or a lack of acceptance.” Schools must keep in mind that some TGE students “do not want or cannot have their parents/guardians know [sic] about their transgender status.”

The report warns schools that prematurely disclosing a student’s gender identity can have “severe consequences” for the child.

It cited a Human Rights Campaign report that stated that 64 percent of TGE students who were surveyed reported that their families “made them feel wrong for their gender identity.” Parental rejection was blamed for “higher rates of homelessness and housing instability” among transgender youth.

The guidance insisted that a child is in “charge of their gender transition” and that the role of a school is to “provide support” to the students during the transition.

“If a student has formally requested to transition at school, the school administrator or another trusted adult, preferably trained in supporting LGBTQ and Gender Expansive students, can meet with the student and determine the steps the student is comfortable taking,” the report stated.

Transitioning Children Without Parental Approval

NYSED’s guidance was heavily criticized online. “They’re out of bounds. Parents have the right to know what is happening to their child,” the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) wrote on Twitter on June 17.

“In New York, parents’ rights are directly under attack. This is unacceptable and must be stopped immediately,” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said in a June 15 tweet.

Schools from other states across the United States are also implementing steps to facilitate the gender transition of students without informing their parents.

In Pennsylvania, the Greater Johnstown School District established “gender support and gender transition plans“ that don’t require parental involvement.