The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) published comprehensive guidelines earlier this month to help school districts better support transgender students, even while endorsing the idea of keeping parents in the dark.
According to the guidelines, support can include allowing students to change their preferred name and gender, as well as choose the pronouns their peers and teachers are to use, and even begin the process to transition to their preferred gender.
All of this can occur with or without parental involvement.
If a student discloses he or she is transgender, the school “may or may not include the child’s parents in the implementation of a ‘gender support plan’ for the student,” the Supporting Gender Expansive Students guidance for schools handbook states….