South Portland School Department has policy to keep gender identity of students hidden from parents

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to the South Portland School Department seeking any guidance regarding transgender issues. The district provided PDE with two policies titled “Transgender Students” and “Transgender Students Guidelines.” The policy titled “Transgender Students Guidelines” explicitly states that the gender identity of students can be hidden from parents:

The student plan should address how to deal with disclosures that the student is transgender. The school recognizes that some students may not have disclosed information to their parent(s)/guardian(s). If the parent(s)/guardian(s) are not aware, thoughtful consideration will be given to the sharing of information. In some cases, a student may want their parent(s)/guardian(s), school staff, and other students to know, and in other cases the student may not want this information to be widely known. School staff should take care to follow the student’s plan and not to inadvertently disclose information that is intended to be kept private or that is protected from disclosure (such as confidential medical information).

The policy “Transgender Students” mandates that staff and students use the preferred pronouns of other students: “A student who has been identified as transgender under these guidelines should be addressed by school staff and other students by the name and pronoun corresponding to their gender identity that is consistently asserted at school.” Students are also allowed to use the restrooms and locker rooms that match their preferred gender identity.

The district also provided PDE with a “Transgender Student Support Plan” for students.

The school district additionally provided PDE with an email template used to send to parents for students who identify as transgender. The email notably has links to organizations that target children with LGBTQ issues, including GLSEN, Out Maine, and Equality Maine.