Should teachers and schools be allowed to keep information about a student's pronouns or gender identity from parents?

Poll - Total Votes: 33

Yes. The child's health and well being are more important than the parent being informed.

No. Parents should get to know this information even if that puts some kids at risk.

You can only vote on one answer.

Personally I think that right now it is for a child's safety that their choice of pronouns or expressed gender identity not be relayed to the parents.
Why?
Because if the child wanted their parents to know then they would tell them. The child might not feel comfortable telling their parent just because it's awkward but it could also be a much more substantial fear of repercussions, punishment or even harm.

You have only to see how some people in this debate advocate hate and even execution to understand why it is worrying to out a trans child to certain kinds of parent.

It's just so gross how this issue has been weaponized by the political right to get cheap votes.
Just following the ol playbook "If you don't have policy, target a minority" lol

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onewithshoes · 26-30, F

Whatever a student chooses to disclose in confidence with a teacher or counselor should be respected as confidential, and not be disclosed to any other person (including both parents and other school staff) inside or outside the school. Such is in keeping with normal expectations or confidentiality.
For the school to implement an official policy with regard to the pronouns to be used by all staff with regard to a particular student, whilst withholding information about such policy from that student's parents is a far different matter, and is fundamentally wrong.
Schools, by long established convention, are both entitled and expected to act in loco parentis . They hold a quasi parental authority during school hours as a limited surrogacy for parental authority. But this limited authority is only lent to school employees by the actual parents who hold the primary authority as parents.
Apart from this, it is truly hazardous in a number of ways for a child to have one identity at school and another at home.
It can also be a severe violation of the conscience of a teacher who finds such a dishonest policy to be morally objectionable.

Pikachu

@onewithshoes

We are not at the moment even discussing a policy that requires teachers to use preferred pronouns or respect gender identity, only one in which they have to keep that information within the school.

Let's replace trans with gay for the moment.
We know that gay kids were abused by homophobic parents or put into harmful "conversion" therapy.
If we wanted to prevent such harm to students then a policy would be appropriate wherein teachers were not permitted without consent of the student to inform their parents that they were homosexual.

That's what we're talking about here. Protecting the kids that would come to harm.
What is more important than that?

onewithshoes · 26-30, F

@Pikachu Respecting confidence is one thing, abetting deception is another.
Let's not fall into 'teachers=good, parents=bad' stereotyping either.
Both should be on the same page and work together for the good of the child.

Pikachu

@onewithshoes

Where's the deception?
Telling a parent that Timmy is smart but needs to apply himself and not mentioning that Timmy prefers the pronoun "her" does not strike me as deception.

Let's not fall into 'teachers=good, parents=bad' stereotyping either.

Agreed. That's just not reality. And nor do i think that it is most parents who would harm their trans child.
But there are parents who would and their children need protection.

To me this is a very simple matter. Do you think that the number of children who would be hurt, abused or otherwise harmed if their parents were told by a teacher that they were trans is Zero?
Yes or no?

If that number is not zero then what justification can you submit NOT to protect that non-zero number of children?

LordShadowfire · 46-50, M

@onewithshoes I'm sorry. So if the child's parents are definitely not going to be supportive of their kid during this time, and are instead going to be abusive, it's your opinion that the teachers still have to tell them? Really?

onewithshoes · 26-30, F

@LordShadowfire
I would never want any teacher to reveal to anyone anything that was said to her in confidence, nor to necessarily to alert parents to strident dress, speach, or behaviour that did not constitute a disciplinary problem. If, on the other hand, an official, top-down school policy were being implanted that resulted in a de facto change in a student's name, gender identity, or placement, I would expect parents to informed. Were that honestly to be deemed unsafe or detrimental to the child by school councilors, then state social services should have been brought into the picture.

LordShadowfire · 46-50, M

@onewithshoes

I would never want any teacher to reveal to anyone anything that was said to her in confidence, nor to necessarily to alert parents to strident dress, speach, or behaviour that did not constitute a disciplinary problem.

See, up until right there, you're making sense.