Seattle Public Schools’ School-Based Health Center provider offers students ‘gender-affirming care services’ including ‘hormonal treatment,’ emails reveal.

  • Seattle Public Schools - Washington

Incidents

A Freedom of Information Act request to Seattle Public Schools reveals that one of the School-Based Health Center (SBHC) providers offer “gender-affirming care services” to students, which includes “access to important medical interventions including hormonal treatments.”

In a January 25, 2023, email from the Neighborcare Health School-Based Health Program Manager, they state that “beginning February 6th [2023], our program will begin offering comprehensive, evidence-based, gender-affirming care services to our students and families who need them.”

It describes “gender-affirming care services” available through the health center such as “supportive student counseling, promotion of social identity, and health education” which the email states “will allow us to begin offering families access to important medical interventions including hormonal treatments.” It continues: “This level of care can only be consented to by a parent or legal guardian, and all gender-affirming care treatments will be an informed and private decision made between a parent, their child, and their healthcare provider.”

The program manager states that “these services will be a small pilot available to students and families within the existing schools we serve.”

The email also acknowledges that “there is the possibility of media interest” and they are “prepared to speak directly about the value and need for these services and appreciate” being made aware if they “get questions from the media.”

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Seattle Public Schools has a policy in place that allows staff to hide a student’s gender transition from parents. “Staff should not disclose a student’s transgender or gender expansive identity to others unless (1) legally required to do so or (2) the student has authorized disclosure.”

Neighborcare Health School-Based Health Centers in Seattle Public Schools