Keene School District has policy that explicitly tells staff to keep gender identity of students hidden from parents

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to the Keene School District seeking any guidance regarding transgender issues on September 5, 2024. PDE did not receive a response back from the district. However, the district does have a policy posted online titled “Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students.” The policy explicitly states that the gender identity of students should be hidden from parents: “School personnel should not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status or gender nonconforming presentation to others, including parents and other school personnel, unless legally required to do so or unless the student has authorized such disclosure.” The policy continues to explain that parents should be kept in the dark:

When contacting the parent or guardian of a transgender or gender nonconforming student, school personnel should use the student’s legal name and the pronoun corresponding to the student’s gender assigned at birth unless the student, parent, or guardian has specified otherwise.

The policy appears to mandate that staff and students use the preferred pronouns of other students: “The intentional or persistent refusal to respect a student’s gender identity consistently asserted at school (for example, intentionally referring to the student by a name or pronoun that does not correspond to the student’s gender identity) is a violation of this policy, and the offender shall be referred for appropriate counseling and/or discipline.”

Students are also allowed to use the restrooms and locker rooms as well as participate in sports according to their preferred gender identity.