Marsh Valley Joint School District mandates teachers to keep the gender identity of students secret from parents; threatens teachers with possible termination

Marsh Valley Joint School District has a policy for students titled “Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation” that is dated May 10, 2021. The policy states that the gender identity of students can be kept a secret from parents: “In the case of middle/junior high school students and high school students, the principal or building administrator is encouraged to request a meeting with a transgender student and, if the student grants permission, with their parent/guardian upon the student’s enrollment in the District or in response to a currently enrolled student’s change of gender expression or identity.”

The policy then explicitly states that school staff and teachers should not reveal the gender identity of students to their parents. Teachers who reveal the gender identity of students to their parents could face “termination.” The policy explains:

School employees should not disclose a student’s transgender status or sexual orientation to other individuals, regardless of setting, including the other school personnel or (in the case of middle school, junior high school, and high school students) the student’s parents/guardians, unless they have a legitimate need to know or unless the student has authorized such disclosure. Action in violation of such student confidentiality may subject an employee to discipline, up to and including possible termination and for certificated personnel, a report to the Professional Standards Commission.

The policy continues to explain: “When contacting the parent/guardian of a transgender 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 or parent/guardian has specified otherwise.”

The policy additionally states that students “will be allowed to use the restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to the gender identity.” In the case of overnight field trips, students will also be assigned rooms that match their preferred gender identity.

The district also mandates that school staff use the preferred pronouns and names of students: “However, in the course of ordinary school interactions and communication, District staff shall use the name and pronouns consistently asserted by the student at school, regardless of the student’s legal name and sex.” Employees who refuse to use a student’s preferred pronouns and name can face “possible termination.”