Dover School District has policy that appears to explain that students can make decisions regarding their gender identity without parental consent; training states that district could adopt procedures to explicitly keep gender identity of students hidden from parents

The Dover School District has a policy titled “Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Procedures” that appears to explain that parents do not need to be involved in the gender identity issues of their children. The policy states that decisions regarding gender identity can be made by students “or” parents: “This procedure will be used to address needs raised by transgender students and/or their parent(s)/guardian(s).” The policy then adds:

A transgender student and/or their parent(s)/guardian(s) should contact the student’s counselor or building administrator.

The policy also appears to mandate students and staff to use the preferred pronouns of students: “A student who has been identified as transgender under this policy should be addressed by school staff and other students by the name and pronouns corresponding to their gender identity that is consistently asserted at school.” Students are also allowed to use the restrooms and locker rooms that match their preferred gender identity.

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to the district seeking any training provided to staff on gender identity issues. The district provided a presentation to PDE titled “Mandatory Training” that was for the 2024-2025 school year. A slide in this presentation states: “A school district may not adopt policies, procedures or student support forms that prohibit school district personnel from answering questions from a parent about his or her student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being, sexuality, or a change in related services or monitoring, or that encourage or have the effect of encouraging a student to withhold from a parent such information.”

However, that same slide then states: “This paragraph does not prohibit a school district from adopting procedures that permit school personnel to withhold such information from a parent if a reasonably prudent person would believe that disclosure would result in abuse, abandonment, or neglect pursuant to RSA 169-C:3.”