A watchdog group has reported that around 6,000 public schools throughout the United States have implemented policies that prevent them from informing parents when their children choose to “change” their gender or gender identity.
Parents Defending Education compiled a list of 5,904 schools across 168 districts in the US that have implemented policies preventing staff from informing parents when their children choose to change their gender or gender identity, affecting at least 3.2 million students. These policies, which apply regardless of the children’s age, geography, demographics or financial status, prohibit staff from disclosing information about students’ gender identity without their consent.
📺WATCH: Fox & Friends covered the significant @DefendingEd investigation that revealed a list of schools across the country that are openly telling school personnel that they can keep secrets from parents. pic.twitter.com/VngwX7QTTO
— Nicki Neily (@nickineily) March 9, 2023
According to the list compiled by Parents Defending Education, the policies affect approximately 3,268,752 students. The impacted students attend schools in districts of varying sizes, wealth, locations and political affiliations, from Alaska to North Carolina.
The list features some of the biggest school districts in the nation, including Chicago Public Schools and Los Angeles Unified School District. Other city jurisdictions such as Baltimore City Public Schools, DC Public Schools, Portland Public Schools, San Francisco Unified School District and Seattle Public Schools are also included.
Nicole Neilly, Parents Defending Education president says the list, “only begins to scratch the surface of what is taking place behind closed doors in America’s schools.” She goes on to say, “This investigation shows that parental exclusion policies are a problem from coast-to-coast, and that living in a red state doesn’t mean that families are automatically shielded from this issue.”
Neilly continued, “Without a doubt, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of others with similar policies on the books. We urge everyone to keep an eye out, and to let us know if they find something similar in their backyard.”
Despite facing widespread criticism, the Biden administration is seeking to amend Title IX regulations that would permit schools across the country to prevent parents from receiving important information regarding their child’s gender identity. Several Republican-led states have responded by attempting to limit these pro-transgender policies, including Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, who was elected in 2021 on a platform of increasing parental authority over their child’s education in the state.
Legal challenges have already emerged in some districts due to these policies, with critics coming from various political backgrounds.
