The Santa Ana Unified School Board in Orange County, California recently approved a policy that would allow transgender students to use the pronouns, name, restrooms, locker rooms, physical education classes, and athletic teams of their preferred gender—and directs staff to keep students’ transgender status private from parents unless authorized by the student.
The policy, which received unanimous support from the board on May 9, directs district counselors to work with transgender students to come up with an “identity support plan” to “specifically address the academic, extracurricular, safety, and social-emotional needs” for such students.
District staff are instructed to keep the plan, as well as information that may disclose a student’s transgender status, private—including from parents, legal guardians or other school personnel—unless the student has given staff permission to disclose such information, under the new policy….