EXCLUSIVE — Documents uncovered in a public records request reveal how a Missouri public school district “knowingly deceive[s] parents” by enabling transgender students to hide their gender identity and preferred pronouns.
The documents obtained by the Washington Examiner indicate that Springfield Public Schools staff members ask transgender students how they want to be addressed depending on the setting: in class, in correspondence to the home, or at conferences with the student’s parents. The student’s legal name is reflected in the system, as opposed to the student’s preferred name.
“It is always wrong to knowingly deceive parents,” Erika Sanzi, director of outreach at Parents Defending Education, told the Washington Examiner. “And Springfield is clearly stating in its policy that school officials will use different names and pronouns for children in school than when communicating with their parents.
“They have made the children the authority and cut parents out completely,” she added. “It’s indefensible.”
This policy appears in a two-page document titled “Transgender Student Recommendations,” which states that “every student has the right to be addressed by a name and pronoun that corresponds to the student’s gender identity.” The document recommends that “school staff privately ask transgender students and their parents/guardians how they want to be addressed” in various settings.
In a one-page document titled “Student Pronouns Recommendations,” the district provides instructions for when parents do not give the school consent “to refer to the child by their name of choice or pronoun.” The document recommends the school counselor work with the student “to develop a plan that meets the needs of the student and family and fosters best educational outcomes.”
Parents Defending Education criticized this policy, arguing that it appears “the district will continue to move forward with allowing students to identify as transgender” despite their parents’ wishes.
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The district’s guidance on transgender students and pronouns recommendations also appears in a 59-page document titled “2024-2025 Administrative Practices and Procedures.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Springfield Public Schools for comment.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
