Cumberland School Department has policy to keep gender identity of students hidden from parents

The Cumberland School Department has a policy in place labeled as for “students who identify as transgender or nonbinary.” The policy explicitly states that the gender identity of students should be hidden from parents:

School personnel may not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status or gender nonbinary presentation to others, including parents, students, volunteers, and other school personnel, unless legally required to do so or unless the student has explicitly authorized such disclosure.

The policy then adds to this: “When contacting the parent or guardian of a student who is transgender or gender nonbinary, 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 mandates that staff use the preferred pronouns of students: “The intentional or persistent refusal to respect a student’s gender identity (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.” Students are allowed to use the restrooms and locker rooms as well as participate in sports according to their preferred gender identity.