Davison Community Schools’ Gender Support Plans for students are created without the consent or knowledge of parents

A concerned parent shared Davison Community Schools’ “Gender Support Plan” with Parents Defending Education. Gender support plans are documents used by districts to support the transgender identity of students while at school. The school district’s document states:

The purpose of this document is to create shared understandings about the ways in which the student’s authentic gender will be accounted for and supported at school. School staff, caregivers and the student should work together to complete this document. Ideally, each will spend time completing the various sections to the best of their ability and then come together to review sections and confirm shared agreements about using the plan.

The gender support plan asks students to name a “’go to adult’ on campus.” The plan then asks the following questions which reveal that parents can be completely left out of this process and plan:

• Are guardians of this student aware and supportive of their child’s gender status?
• If not, what considerations must be accounted for in implementing this plan?
• If the student’s guardians are not aware and/or supportive of the student’s gender status, how will school-home these [sic] be handled?

In the section entitled “other considerations,” the questions below are included:

• Are there lessons, units, content or other activities coming up this year to consider (growth and development, swim unit, social justice units, name projects, dance instruction, Pride events, school dances etc.)?
• What training(s) will the school engage in to build capacity for working with gender-expansive students?

The gender support plan also asks if the “student’s name/gender marker [can] be reflected in the SIS” (student information system), which restroom the student will use, where the student will change clothes, and what are the “expectations regarding rooming for any overnight trips.”