Saint Louis Public Schools has guidance that appears to keep gender identity of students hidden from parents; labels “mis-gendering” as sexual harassment

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to Saint Louis Public Schools seeking any guidance from the district regarding transgender issues. The school district provided PDE with two documents. The first is titled “BOE Policies, Regulations and Procedures” and is dated August 21, 2020. This document states that perceived “discrimination against transgender individuals is a violation of the District’s sexual harassment policy.” Then the following examples of “discriminatory behavior” are provided:

• Failing to recognize transgender students by his or her identified gender and/or pronoun.
• Use of facilities: transgender individuals should always be allowed to use the bathroom of his/her choice.
• Privacy: do not disclose a transgender student’s status beyond the administrative support team.

The perceived “discriminatory behavior” for staff to “not disclose a transgender student’s status beyond the administrative support team” appears to show that the gender identity of students can be hidden from parents. The second document titled “Harassment, LGBTQ+ Student Support, and Bullying” also appears to explain this. When discussing “notification of transition,” the document states: “Parent involvement is an important consideration.” Staff are additionally told to “assure and respect confidentiality.”

The district further explains to staff in the document: “Failing to recognize transgender students by his or her identified gender is a violation of the District’s sexual harassment policy.” This includes “intentionally mis-gendering individuals.” Students also “are always allowed to use the bathroom” that matches their preferred gender identity. The document further promotes using “they/them” pronouns for singular students and the title “Mx.” instead of “Ms.” or “Mr.”

The district additionally explains that “pronouns can change often” and that “pronouns can change as students explore the gender spectrum.” Staff are told that “it’s important to frequently integrate pronouns into meetings or classes.” Staff are also told to “use an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum and examples.”