Transgender Policies in Rhode Island

Investigations

Issues

All the policies we documented in Rhode Island include language about withholding information from parents about their own child’s gender identity at school. The policy states that the child gets to decide whether or not their parents can be told.

Number of K-12 school districts in Rhode Island with these gender policies: 32

Total number of K-12 students in Rhode Island: 137,449

Number of students in RI districts with these gender policies: 113,452

Percent of RI students in districts with these gender policies: 83%

*The number of districts with transgender policies is based on publicly available policies. The number of districts is likely higher when taking into consideration the number of districts that use guidance or provide training that are not publicly accessible.

The Rhode Island Department of Education has statewide guidance titled “Guidance for Rhode Island Schools on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students.” The state’s guidance recognizes that some children participate in irreversible procedures in adopting transgender identities:

Some transgender youth who are close to reaching puberty, or after commencing puberty, may complement social transition with medical treatment that may include puberty blockers, cross-gender hormone therapy, and, for a small number of young people, a range of gender-confirming surgeries.

Rhode Island’s guidance explicitly states that school staff should keep the gender identity of students hidden from parents because revealing this information may “jeopardize the student’s physical or mental safety.” The state’s Education Department explains:

Some transgender and gender non-conforming students may hide or keep secret their gender identity at home because they may not feel safe or fear that they will not be accepted (Family Acceptance Project, 2009). School personnel should speak with the student first before discussing a student’s gender nonconformity or transgender status with the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s). For the same reasons, school personnel should discuss with the student how the school shall refer to the student, e.g., appropriate pronoun use, in written communication to the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s). Schools should not discuss a student’s gender identity with the parent(s) or guardians(s) if school personnel believe it may jeopardize the student’s physical or mental safety.

Students are allowed to use the restrooms and locker rooms according to their preferred gender identity under this guidance. Students are additionally allowed to participate in intramural and interscholastic sports according to their preferred gender identity.

The guidance borrows language and quotes from GLSEN. The organization GLSEN is known for promoting LGBTQ ideology to young children and schools.

Guidance-Rhode-Island-Schools-Transgender-Gender-Nonconforming-StudentsDownload

A total of 32 public school districts in Rhode Island have policies that direct staff to keep the gender identity of students hidden from parents. A majority of these districts use similar and in some cases identical language to the statewide guidance. These districts are listed below from the largest number of students to the smallest.

RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICTS