Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to the Watertown Unified School District seeking any guidance on transgender issues. The district’s superintendent provided PDE with four drafts of a transgender policy and stated: “We are currently discussing changes to our administrative guidelines. We are operating under Draft A until and if the Board either ratifies Draft A or one of the other drafts.”
The “Draft A” document does explicitly state that parents should be involved in the process if students want to identify as another gender. However, the document also appears to state that students can bring the issue to the attention of district administrators without parental knowledge by stating that either the students “or” their parents can bring up the issue:
A transgender or gender nonconforming student or their parent/guardian is encouraged to contact a student services designee to address any concerns, needs, or requests. A transgender or gender nonconforming student or their parent/guardian may also initiate contact with the counselor, principal, or other administrator.
Students are allowed to use the restrooms and locker rooms as well as participate in sports according to their preferred gender identity.
Notably, “Draft A” is not as strong in identifying parental rights as another document labeled as “Draft S.” Draft S is more explicit in parental involvement:
If the student is a minor, administrators must notify the parent/guardian, obtain their consent and ensure their continuous participation before any action is taken. All attempts to contact the parent/guardian must be documented, and no action may be taken without the continued notification, consent, and continuous participation of parent/guardian.
Draft A that the district is currently using is not as explicit on parental involvement as Draft S.
Two additional drafts were also provided to PDE. The following were labeled as “Draft B” and “Draft S Version 2.”
