Milford School District has policy to keep gender identity of students hidden from parents

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to the Milford School District seeking any guidance on transgender issues. The district provided PDE with a policy titled “Administrative Procedure Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students.” This policy explicitly states that staff should not tell parents about the gender identity of their children: “School personnel should not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status or gender nonconforming presentation to others, including parents and other school personnel, unless legally required to do so or unless the student has authorized such disclosure.” The policy then explains this in further detail:

When contacting the parent(s)/guardian(s) of 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 also appears to mandate staff to use the preferred pronouns of students: “A student has the right to be addressed by a name and pronoun that corresponds to the student’s gender identity.” Students are also allowed to use the restrooms and locker rooms that match their preferred gender identity.

The district also provided PDE with a document titled “Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students Meeting & Plan Documentation.” The document appears to be a gender support plan. This document asks for the preferred pronouns, preferred name, restroom, and locker room that the student will use.

The district additionally provided PDE with a presentation titled “Understanding Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity” that is dated November 8, 2022. A topic of this presentation appeared to be the perceived negativity of “gender stereotypes.” One slide on the presentation also discussed “transphobic slurs.”