Wenatchee School District has transgender policy that explicitly mandates staff keep secrets from parents; district explains that telling parents can be “dangerous”

The Wenatchee School District has a policy titled “Gender Inclusive Schools” that explicitly mandates staff to keep the gender identity of students hidden from parents. The policy states at the beginning: “Before contacting a student’s parents, the school will consult with the student about the student’s preferences regarding family involvement and honor those preferences.” The policy later explains: “An appropriate school employee will privately ask known transgender or gender-expansive students how they would like to be addressed in class, in correspondence to the home, and at conferences with the student’s parent/guardian.” The policy then states that informing parents can be “dangerous”:

Before communicating with parents of transgender or gender expansive students, it’s important to ask the student how school employees should refer to the student when talking with their parents and guardians. For families who are supportive, using the student’s name and pronoun could be affirming for the student. For parents who are not supportive, or who are not aware of the student’s transition at school, referring to their name and pronoun could be very dangerous.

The policy then falsely claims that telling parents can violate the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): “Disclosing this information to other students, their parents, or other third parties may violate privacy laws, such as the federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.”

Students are also allowed to use the restrooms and locker rooms and participate in overnight field trips according to their preferred gender identity. Staff will also participate in training on the “terms and concepts related to gender identity, gender expression, and gender diversity in children and adolescents” and the “appropriate strategies for communicating with students and parents about issues related to gender identity and gender expression, while protecting student privacy.”