Las Cruces Public Schools has policy that mandates teachers to participate in training on transgender issues, includes training to keep gender identity of students hidden from parents

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to Las Cruces Public Schools seeking any guidance the district has regarding students who identify as transgender. The district provided PDE with a policy titled “Gender Inclusive Schools” that was adopted on January 4, 2022. The policy is vague on details for what the school district will enact stating that the superintendent “shall promulgate a regulation for the enforcement of this policy which includes key terms, communication and the use of names and pronouns, student records, confidential health and education information, communication, restroom and locker room accessibility, sports and physical education, dress codes and other school activities, safe spaces, and other essential components.”

The policy explains that teachers and staff will participate in training on transgender issues. The policy explains: “Information regarding this policy shall be incorporated into training for new school employees.” This training will include “developmentally appropriate strategies for communication with students and parents about issues related to gender identity and gender expression that protect student privacy” and “classroom-management practices, curriculum, and resources that educators can integrate into their classrooms to help foster a more gender-inclusive environment for all students.”

The district provided PDE with the training that staff received. The flyer for this training states that “participants will be able to differentiate between an individual’s gender and their sexual orientation,” “participants will know the appropriate way to address someone who is transgender,” and “participants will be able to identify an appropriate definition of transgender.” The training was scheduled for March 22, 2023.

The district provided PDE with a presentation for staff that appeared to be the training. This training states that students can use “single-sex facilities” during “overnight events” and “extracurricular activities” as well as restrooms and locker rooms that match their preferred gender identity. The following “best practices” are also provided to staff:

• Use the name and pronoun a student uses for themself.
• Allow student self-selection of locker rooms and bathrooms.
• Allow student self-selection of gendered sports teams.
• Enforce privacy around birth name and trans status.
• Have policies protecting trans students from bullying.
• Institute and follow gender support plans (if needed).
• Promote/support the formations of GSAs.

The slide of the presentation that states to “enforce privacy around birth name and trans status” explicitly alludes to keeping the gender identity of students from their parents. This slide states that “many can’t be out to their families” and that “many live as their true gender, but don’t want others to know they’re trans.”