Box Elder School District has policy that mandates staff use the preferred pronouns of students; policy was created by Utah School Boards Association

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to the Box Elder School District seeking any transgender guidance used for students. The district provided PDE with a policy titled “Transgender Students.” The policy appears to explain that parents will be involved if students identify as transgender: “A student’s transgender status shall not be disclosed to individuals other than the student’s parent without the student’s consent except as expressly authorized by the superintendent following such legal consultation as the superintendent determines is appropriate.”

However, district staff must use the preferred pronouns of students:

Students shall be addressed or referred to by the pronouns associated with the identified gender: transgender boys shall be referred to using “he” “his” and “him” and transgender girls shall be referred to using “she” and “her.”

The policy also appears to explain that students can use the restrooms and locker rooms and participate in intramural activities according to their preferred gender identity.

PDE submitted a second public records request asking where the language of the policy originated but did not receive a response. PDE did learn from a public records request to another school district that the policy is based on a template created by the Utah School Boards Association (USBA).