We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Seven Arizona school districts have policies mandating staff hide students’ “transgender” identity from their parents, according to documents newly obtained by Parents Defending Education and shared with The Daily Signal.

Parents Defending Education, a parental rights organization, keeps a list of school districts across the country that openly instruct school districts to conceal a student’s transgender status from parents.

“As a parent, I find it deeply appalling and offensive that school administrators are pushing policies specifically designed to hide sensitive information from families,” senior adviser at Parents Defending Education Michele Exner told The Daily Signal. “Parents have a right to direct the upbringing of their children, and schools should not be in the business of arbitrarily deciding what student information to not share with parents.”

“Not only are these school districts knowingly abusing the parents’ trust, but their radical gender policies also violate the fairness and safety of their female students,” Exner continued.

Almost three-fourths of registered voters “believe schools should not help students change their gender identity without parental consent,” according to a CRC Research poll conducted in March for the organization.

Plus, 71% of voters “oppose letting schools withhold information about a child’s gender identity from their parents.”

Amphitheatre Public Schools in Tucson Trains Staff to Hide Gender Identity From Parents

In a presentation titled “Title IX and Transgender Students: Bathrooms, Athletics, and More” obtained by Parents Defending Education, staff learned that while they can’t encourage children to keep information from their parents, they are under no obligation to proactively disclose information to parents.

The presentation says that “any attempt to encourage or coerce a minor child to withhold information from the child’s parent is grounds for discipline of an employee of this state, any political subdivision of this state, any other governmental entity or any other institution, except for law enforcement personnel.” 

The slide goes on to say that there is “no obligation to disclose information to parents, no right to withhold it.”

The training says staff are mandated to use students’ preferred pronouns, then says, “Parent preference outweighs student preference, but schools have no obligation to seek it out.”

Amphitheatre Public Schools did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.

Amphitheatre Public Schools’ presentation on “Title IX and Transgender Students.” (Amphitheatre Public Schools)

“The school is not to usurp the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of their children,” the presentation states. It was last revised in July 2023. “Therefore, in situations where a parent may not be supportive of a student’s transgender status, it is imperative that the school coordinate with the assistant superintendent for district safety and student support and Tri-District legal counsel to work through issues that will arise.”

The district in Tempe also uses “gender support plans” to facilitate students’ “social” transitions at school. Social transitioning involves treating the student as if he or she were a different gender, using different names, pronouns, and even clothing.

The plans, obtained by Parents Defending Education, ask: “Guardians are aware of student’s gender status?” The next question then asks: “If yes; what is the level of support?”

Tempe Union High School District did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.

The Gender Support Plan in Tempe Union High School District. (Tempe Union High School District)

“Therefore, in situations where a parent may not be supportive of a student’s transgender status, it is imperative that the school coordinate with the executive director of school effectiveness, the executive director of inclusive student services, and Tri-District legal counsel to work through issues that will arise,” the guidance obtained by Parents Defending Education reads.

The guidance says a student should be consulted for permission before the school shares a child’s gender identity with his or her parents.

“The principal should discuss with the minor student whether the parent/guardian may be contacted regarding the request before initiating contact,” the Kyrene guidance states.

Kyrene Elementary School District was unavailable to respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment by time of publication.

Kyrene Elementary School District’s “Guidelines for Support of Transgender Students.” (Kyrene Elementary School District)

Cartwright School District in Phoenix Trains Staff to ’Protect a Student’s Privacy’ When Involving Parents Who Are ’Unsupportive’ of Their Child’s LGBTQ Identification

Parents Defending Education obtained a Cartwright staff training presentation titled “Supporting Our Gender Variant Scholars.”

“Protect a student’s privacy, especially when they have unsupportive families,” the presentation for teachers of kindergarten through eighth grade states, followed by: “Any decision to raise the topic with parents must be made very carefully and in consultation with the student.”

Staff learn to “support transitioning students by recognizing the urgency and timing of their transition.” The presentation further instructs staff to implement gender ideology into the curriculum and to avoid referring to students as “boys and girls.”

This presentation argues that “they” is an acceptable pronoun for a singular person and that “descriptive language is the cornerstone of the democratic spirit.”

The presentation by a staff member with “they/them/their pronouns” who goes by the honorific “Mx” features the “Genderbread Person,” which teaches that when it comes to sexuality and gender, people have five different characteristics, each of them falling along a spectrum.

A slide promotes pronouns including “ze/hir,” “phe/per,” “zie, ne,” “yo, co,” and “hu, ta.” 

Victor Hugo Rodriguez, executive director of public relations in the district, said Cartwright encourages parental involvement in education.

“Each campus provides parents with the opportunity to engage directly with the principal to discuss any concerns or issues,” he told The Daily Signal.

“Our mission is to educate and empower our scholars to achieve success,” Rodriguez continued. “To this end, we equip both parents and staff with the necessary tools to effectively navigate challenges. Additionally, we offer a variety of services to parents, ensuring that all activities, including field trips, are conducted with their consent.”

Cartwright School District’s presentation on “Supporting Our Gender Variant Scholars.” (Cartwright School District)

Washington Elementary School District in Maricopa County Uses a ’Gender Support Plan’ That Instructs Staff to Conceal Student Gender Identity

“Therefore, given the sensitive nature of the information when speaking with parents, guardians, other staff members, or third parties, school staff should not disclose a student’s preferred name, pronoun, or other confidential information pertaining to the student’s transgender or gender identity status without the student’s consent, unless authorized to do so by state law or unless specifically authorized to do so by WESD [Washington Elementary School District] legal services,” a document Parents Defending Education obtained says.

The plan asks: “Which name and gender pronouns will be used in guardian communications?” The options are “Preferred Name and Gender Pronouns” or “Legal Name and Gender Pronouns.” 

The Washington Elementary School District “Gender Support Plan.” (Washington Elementary School District)

The elementary district also passed a resolution in July 2022 “Recognizing and Affirming LGBTQ+ Students and Staff.”

“WESD believes it is our duty to honor, value, and affirm our transgender, nonbinary, and all LGBTQ+ students, staff, and families through our policies, practices, and curriculum,” the resolution says.

The district “will review all WESD policies that currently include language about sex, which includes sexual orientations and transgender status (U.S. Supreme Court, Bostock v. Clayton) and amend them to include gender identity and expression,” the resolution continues.

Washington Elementary School District did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.

The Washington Elementary School District resolution on LGBTQ students and staff. (Washington Elementary School District)

Paradise Valley Unified School District in a Suburb of Phoenix Allows Males Who Identify as Transgender to Room With Girls on Overnight Trips

The Paradise Valley District allows students to participate in sports and overnight field trips in accordance with their gender identity.

In a document titled “Administrative Guidelines Addressing the Rights of Students Regarding Gender Identity and Expression” obtained by Parents Defending Education, Paradise Valley clarifies that parents “shall” be involved in changes to the student’s gender designation in the student’s record.

But the school district also mandates that staff use the preferred pronouns of students, and parental notification for such does not appear to be required.

Paradise Valley communications specialist Sarah Hackett responded to The Daily Signal’s request for comment with a referral to the district’s Title IX protocols. 

Paradise Valley School District’s guidelines on gender identity. (Paradise Valley School District)

Parents Defending Education submitted a public records request to Mesa Public Schools in Mesa seeking any guidance from the district regarding transgender issues. The district directed the organization to a document titled “Guidelines for Support of Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students.” The guidance, most recently updated on July 15, explicitly states that parental “consent is not required” to allow students to identify as another gender.

Students are also allowed to use facilities in accordance with their preferred gender.

“Student mental health is an issue of perpetual concern to families and educators alike—which it is truly inexplicable that through the use of ‘parental exclusion policies,’ bureaucrats are now encouraging students to lead a double life and telling them that their parents might not love and support them,” Parents Defending Education founder Nicole Neily told The Daily Signal. “These are immoral policies that are actively destroying parent-child relationships from coast-to-coast.”

Mesa Public Schools did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.

Mesa Public Schools’ guidelines on transgender students. (Mesa Public Schools)