East Greenwich Public Schools has policy to keep gender identity of students hidden from parents

East Greenwich Public Schools has a policy in place titled “Transgender Non-Discrimination Policy.” The policy explicitly states that the gender identity of students can be hidden from parents: “Prior to notification of any parent/guardian regarding information outlined above, district personnel should assess the degree to which, if any, the parent/guardian will be involved in the process and must consider the health, well being, and safety of the transitioning student.” The policy then states:

When contacting the parent or guardian of a student who is transgender or gender nonconforming, 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.

Staff are mandated to 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 and may result in disciplinary action by the East Greenwich Public Schools.” Students are allowed to use the restrooms and locker rooms as well as participate in sports according to their preferred gender identity.