School District Evaluates Parent Knowledge of Child’s Transition
Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell /
A Colorado school district uses a form asking staff whether a student’s parents know their child identifies as transgender and support that decision.
St. Vrain Valley Schools, in a Denver suburb, developed a so-called Gender Identity Guidance form for “counselors, interventionists, and administrators to support students dealing with issues related to gender identification.”
The document, found on the public school district’s website and reviewed by The Daily Signal, includes questions about students’ preferred name, birth name, sex at birth, and gender identity. A section asks whether parents are aware of their child’s gender identity and if they support that, as well as who can advocate on behalf of the child if his or her parents won’t.
“Do I understand the parent/guardian support and am I able to identify other supports for the student?” the form asks.
Follow-up questions on the school district’s form include:
— “Do student’s parents/guardians know of the gender identity?”
— “Do parents/guardians support the gender identity?”
— “Who can advocate or support the student if not the parents/guardians?”
— “What are the communication methods/issues/challenges between school and home?”
— “Who are the adult contacts at school for support, concerns, etc.?”
Gender policies such as this one at St. Vrain Valley Schools, which allows children to hide their gender identity from parents, undermine parental authority and rights, Lori Gimelshteyn, executive director of the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network, told The Daily Signal.
“As parents, our priority is our children’s well-being and safety,” Gimelshteyn said. “No institution should intervene between us and our children, especially during critical times like mental health crises.”
St. Vrain Valley Schools did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment about whether the district conceals students’ gender transitions from parents.
Another section of the Gender Identity Guidance form inquires about others’ awareness of a student’s gender identity.
The school employee who fills out the form must indicate the status of the child, who currently knows about the child’s transition, whether the transition is public or private, and who else needs to know.
The form lays out how schools in the St. Vrain district should handle communication related to the child’s gender, including how to discuss the transition in an “age appropriate” manner with classmates.
The form also tracks a child’s preferred personal pronouns and how to refer to that student in school records.
A bill in the Colorado House of Representatives would require educators statewide to call students by their preferred name upon request.
The Gender Identity Guidance form reviews a student’s use of facilities to determine whether the child is using restrooms and locker rooms in line with his or her gender identity.
The St. Vrain district also connects students with “outside resources,” such as Rocky Mountain Equality, the Human Rights Campaign, and other LGBTQ+ activist groups.
Rocky Mountain Equality offers programs for LGBTQ+ youth ages 11 to 18. Only those under 12 need parental permission to participate. The group provides children with “gender-affirming clothes” such as chest binders. (“Binders are reserved for those ages 11 to 18,” the website says.)
The school district’s form considers “the social dynamics with other students/families/staff” and addresses potential challenges with extracurricular activities, such as sports and clubs. The Colorado High School Activities Association reviews students’ requests to play sports in accord with their “gender identity” if it “differs from their sex assigned at birth.”
A bill requiring student athletes to play sports in line with their biological sex failed to pass the Colorado House last year.