Manchester School District has policy that appears to explain that students can make decisions regarding their gender identity without parental consent

The Manchester School District has a policy in place titled “Transgender and Gender Non-conforming Students.” This policy appears to explain that students can choose who to reveal their gender identity to: “School personnel should not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status or gender nonconforming presentation to others unless legally required to do so or unless the student has authorized such disclosure. Transgender and gender nonconforming students have the right to discuss and express their gender identity and expression openly and to decide when, with whom, and how much to share private information.”

The policy additionally explains that either students “or” parents can make decisions about a student’s gender identity: “When referring to a transgender or gender nonconforming student, 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 further appears to mandate staff 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.” Students are also allowed to use the restrooms and locker rooms that match their preferred gender identity as well as participate in sports according to their preferred gender identity.