How Do Parents Stay Involved in the Lives of Their Children?

Families, communities, states, and nations are stronger when parents participate in the lives of their children, including their schooling. Yet, parents are often intentionally kept in the dark by schools and other people. According to Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, “Seven Arizona school districts have policies mandating staff hide students’ ‘transgender’ identity from their parents.” Mitchell obtained the above referenced information from Parents Defending Education. 

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.”

The following Arizona school districts were reported in Mitchell’s article.

·         Amphitheatre Public Schools in Tucson trains staff to hide gender identity from parents.

·         Tempe Union High School District’s policy seems to bring in legal counsel if parents don’t support their child’s gender identity.

·         Kyrene Elementary School District in Tempe also may involve legal counsel if parents don’t support their child identifying as the opposite sex.

·         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.

·         Washington Elementary School District in Maricopa County uses a ‘gender support plan’ that instructs staff to conceal student gender identity.

·         Paradise Valley Unified School District in a suburb of Phoenix allows males who identify as transgender to room with girls on overnight trips.

·         Mesa Public Schools does not require parental consent for a student to identify as the opposite gender.

God holds parents responsible to teach and to care for their minor children, and school districts do not have the right to step between parents and their children. Parents must join together and make a stand for the good of their children. By standing up for their children and teens, parents can strengthen their families, communities, states, and nations.