Juneau School District explains that transgender policy that encourages keeping secrets from parents came from Association of Alaska School Boards; AASB created the policy using language from the Anchorage School District

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to the Juneau School District requesting information about where the school district’s transgender policy originated. The policy states that the school district can keep the gender identity of students a secret from parents. A representative of the school district explained to PDE:

The Juneau School District (JSD) subscribes to the statewide Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB) statewide policy service. The AASB Policy Online Service, includes access to AASB’s model policy manual of over 400 policies, along with administrative regulations and exhibits. Subscribers receive updates reflecting new and changing laws and educational trends to supplement the AASB Policy Reference Manual. AASB provides legally vetted, and expertly reviewed policy updates for Boards to consider and adopt. This service prevents each district from having to legally vet each of their policies on their own, and helps to stay up to date on the latest trends in educational policy through its network of other state association policy experts.

The representative explained to PDE that the transgender policy was adopted from the AASB’s model policies and that “the language in the AASB AR was originally adapted from Anchorage School District’s Guidelines for Working with Transgender Students and Employees.” The district also provided PDE with the AASB’s current model policy.