title: MI BOARD OF EDUCATION Will Allow Students To Choose Gender, Bathroom, Locker Room And Even A New Name With No Parental Consent
text: Every parent in the United States of America should be alarmed by this covert attempt by Board of Education members to essentially tell our kids that their power supersedes that of the parents. Furthermore, this reckless policy of placing same sex kids in bathrooms and locker rooms puts children in danger of being in private spaces with sexual predators and or sexual offenders Make sure to add your comments to the MI Board of Educations HEREMichigan s State Board of Education has drafted a guidance that would push the state s schools to allow all students, regardless of parental or doctoral input, to choose their gender, name, pronouns, and bathrooms.Spearheaded by board president John C. Austin and signed by state superintendent Brian Whiston, the guidance informs Michigan public schools that only the students themselves i.e. not their parents or doctors can determine what their individual gender identities are. The responsibility for determining a student s gender identity rests with the student. Outside confirmation from medical or mental health professionals, or documentation of legal changes, is not needed,  the guidance states.Gender identity is defined in the guidance as  a person s deeply held internal sense or psychological knowledge of their own gender, regardless of the biological sex they were assigned at birth. Notably, the guidance makes no mention of a student s age affecting whether or not they can pick a gender without their parent or doctor.In fact, the guidance seems to intentionally cut parents out of the process.The guidance states:  School staff should address students by their chosen name and pronouns that correspond to their gender identity, regardless of whether there has been a legal name change. Students can even ask to have their chosen name and gender  included in the district s information management systems, in addition to the student s legal name. But what about when school staff members are speaking with parents about their son or daughter?The guidance states that  Transgender and GNC [gender nonconforming] students have the right to decide when, with whom, and to what extent to share private information. Accordingly, the board makes clear,  When contacting the parent/guardian of a transgender or GNC student, school staff should use the student s legal name and the pronoun corresponding to the student s assigned sex at birth, unless the student or parent/guardian has specified otherwise. In other words, a boy named  Jake  could become a girl named  Jane  at school, seemingly without his parents ever knowing.Names, pronouns, and genders aren t the only things the board wants students to choose.The guidance informs schools that  Students should be allowed to use the restroom in accordance with their gender identity. And the board makes clear that single-stall bathrooms are not inclusive enough:  Alternative and non-stigmatizing options, such as an all-gender or singleuser restroom (e.g., staff bathroom or nurse s office), should be made available to students who request them, but not presented as the only option. Locker rooms also should become inclusive of students  many gender identities.  A student should not be required to use a locker room that is incongruent with their gender identity,  the guidance states.  Locker room usage should be determined on a case-by-case basis, using the guiding principles of safety and honoring the student s gender identity and expression. Students who are bothered by having members of the opposite sex in their locker rooms can request  an adjusted changing schedule  or  use of a private area in the facility. The board quietly issued the statement and guidance on February 23rd, without a press release. The public has only until April 11th to comment on the proposed guidance, according to the Department of Education website. The board will finalize the guidance at a meeting on May 10th. Via: Daily Caller 