A proposal made by the Upper Moreland School District during its January 17 board meeting has created a controversy with some district parents.

The Board discussed a new policy, “AR 253 Transgender and Gender Diverse Students,” which includes the use of pronouns, preferred bathrooms, diversity training for staff, and more.

According to the policy:

This administrative regulation is consistent with the goals of reducing stigmatization and maximizing transgender and gender diverse (TGD) students’ social integration in District programs, services, and activities. However, these guidelines do not anticipate every situation that might occur with respect to TGD individuals. As set forth in greater detail herein, the needs of each TGD individual are unique and should be considered accordingly.

The policy provides definitions for more than 25 terms, including “Gender Fluid,” “Pansexual,” and “Trans-affirmative.”

According to the policy’s Privacy and Confidentiality section:

All, persons, including students, have a right to privacy. This includes keeping a student’s actual or perceived gender identity and expression private. Therefore, school personnel should not disclose information about a TGD student’s gender identity and expression to others, including the student’s parents/guardians and/or other school personnel, unless legally required to do so or unless the student has authorized such disclosure or explicitly disclosed their gender identity in the school setting. District personnel are authorized to encourage students to disclose gender identity to parents/guardians and counsel students in this regard.

The policy notes that “TGD students” will have access to restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their “gender identity.”

The policy proposal has caught the attention of numerous news outlets, including Parents Defending Education, ABC7 and Fox News.

For the full policy, you can click here.

Photo credit: Upper Moreland School District