Pennsylvania elementary school prohibits teachers from telling parents if their child is transgender

(Daily Caller) – A Pennsylvania elementary school tells educators to hide a student’s change in gender identity from their parents unless they consent, according to a school policy.

The Upper Moreland School District in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, “Code of Conduct” for the 2022-2023 school year tells elementary school teachers that they should not share a student’s change in gender identity with their parents unless instructed by the student to do so. The student has the “right” to keep their “gender identity private at school,” according to the code of conduct.

“School personnel should not disclose information that may reveal a student’s gender identity or gender nonconformity to others, including parents and other school personnel, unless the student has authorized such disclosure,” the code of conduct stated.

Under the code of conduct, students are to be included in groups on the basis of their gender identity. The students are also permitted to use whichever restroom and locker room corresponds with their gender identity.

Students have the right to be called by whichever name and pronouns they choose in the classroom, according to the school district’s transgender procedures. Students must get their parents signature on a “Name and Gender Change Form” and meet with a guidance counselor before making a change to their official records.

Transgender students are also encouraged to file a police report if they feel they are experiencing “instances of bullying,” the transgender procedures stated.

Schools across the country are promoting similar policies and resources to encourage educators to keep students’ gender transitions a secret; in California, San Francisco Unified School District promoted a “LGBTQ Student Services” guidebook to teach educators how to avoid outing students’ transitions to their parents.

The Michigan Department of Education trained teachers on hiding a students’ name or pronoun change from their parents. A non-discrimination policy in Philadelphia says that any school or organization that works with children must partake in training to teach them how to keep a child’s transgender status a secret from their parents.

“Recent studies indicate that the life of a transgender person can be ‘vastly challenging and rife with discrimination,’” the Upper Moreland transgender procedures stated. “It can also be ‘joyful, triumphant and transformative’ for the person and those around them.”

The Upper Moreland School District did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.