Florida School Board Guidelines Require Outing Trans Students to Peers’ Parents
On top of the chaotic and frankly alarming implementation of the “Don’t Say Gay” law in Florida, one school district has approved guidelines to out trans students to their classmates’ parents. The Leon County School Board unanimously voted to approve the LGBTQ Inclusive School Guide, which is meant to provide guidance for educators and administrators on how to help queer students.
However, within these guidelines is the provision that requires the school to notify parents if a student who is “open about their gender identity” will be in a physical education class or on an overnight trip with their children. While the guide makes it clear that all students must be able to access locker rooms and bathrooms that are consistent with their gender identity, the aforementioned provision is meant to allow parents of cis students to request “reasonable accommodation options” for their children.
It is unclear what would be considered reasonable accommodations in this situation, but several people have expressed concern that these notifications violate the privacy of trans and nonbinary students.
Leon High School student Kailey Sandell says, “The notification to all the parents can create a very stressful and unwanted situation to trans and LGBTQ students.”
Another Leon High student, Benjamin Burn, states, “Trans kids want privacy. That’s what I want; that’s what everyone wants. And trans kids honestly deserve it.”
By outing these students to their classmates’ parents without consent, the schools run the risk of putting trans students in danger.
“Sending out a parent notification could be seen as placing a target on a student’s back,” says Tallahassee resident Lauren Kelly-Manders.
Despite the pushback on the provision, some are claiming that the guide doesn’t go far enough to ensure parental rights regarding their children’s exposure to LGBTQ issues and people. One such critic is Sharyn Kerwin, the head of the Leon County chapter of far-right organization Moms for Liberty and a member of the district’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee.
Kerwin says, “Any attempt to withhold information from a parent or try to influence a child in a knowing way is against Florida law.”
Presumably, Kerwin is referring to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which took effect July 1 and outlaws education on sexuality and gender that is not “age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.”
The school board has described the LGBTQ Inclusive School Guide as a living document and says it will be revisited in six months.
