Clark County School District has guidelines to keep gender identity of students hidden from parents

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to the Clark County School District seeking any guidance that the district has regarding transgender issues. The district provided PDE with several documents, including one titled “Gender Support Plan Checklist.” This document explicitly states that the gender identity of students can be hidden from parents.

The document states: “If the student does not want to notify their parents/guardians or if their parents/guardians are not in agreement, it is imperative that the student work with the school counselor to build a communication bridge between the student and the parents/guardians.” The document does explain that “no changes to a student’s pronoun usage, gender marker, or name can be made without parental approval.” However, the document also states: “No staff members should relay the student’s gender identity to the parents/guardians if the student has not approved.”

PDE also received the gender support plan for students. This plan asks for a student’s “sex assigned at birth” and “gender identity.”

The district provided PDE with a presentation that appeared to be training for staff titled “Addressing the Rights and Needs of Students with Diverse Gender Identities and Expressions.” This presentation reiterates: “Always speak with the student first to determine if the student’s parents/guardians are aware and in agreement with the requested changes to their student’s gender marker and name.” The presentation then adds: “If the student has not granted permission to contact their parents/guardians, staff members must not contact the parents/guardians to inform them of their student’s gender identity or expression choices.”

The presentation also includes four scenarios of situations with students identifying as transgender. One scenario specifically references a student who does not want parents knowing. This scenario asks: “What occurs if the parent/guardian does not support the student’s request?” The next question then asks: “What should the school do to support the student?”

The district also provided PDE with the script of the presentation. This script further emphasizes that parents can be left in the dark: “It’s essential to emphasize a key aspect of our approach: when a student has not granted permission to inform their parents/guardians, staff members are to refrain from informing them of their student’s gender identity or expression choices. Respecting the student’s privacy is paramount in creating a safe and supportive environment.”

The district’s official policy is titled “Addressing the Rights and Needs of Students with Diverse Gender Identities or Expressions.”

The district’s policy that is public does not mention keeping the gender identity of students hidden from parents. That guideline appears to be exclusive to internal documents.