Christian Headlines Blog Christian Blog and Commentary

Get guidance on Bible study from C.S. Lewis - Free Course!

Charter School Adopts Transgender Policy with No ‘Opt out’ Option for Parents

  • Veronica Neffinger

    Veronica Neffinger wrote her first poem at age seven and went on to study English in college, focusing on 18th century literature. When she is not listening to baseball games, enjoying the…

    More
  • Updated Aug 09, 2017

A well-known Minnesota charter school has agreed to implement a new gender inclusivity policy that would not allow parents to opt out “based on religious or conscience objections.”

Nova Classical Academy in St. Paul agreed to adopt the policy after facing a lawsuit over the school’s treatment of a kindergarten student who identifies as transgender.

According to The Daily Signal, the new policy also involves not notifying parents or guardians about their child’s gender identity or the way the school handles transgender students.

Parents of a biologically male child who identifies as a female claimed that the school “failed to protect their child and other gender nonconforming and transgender students at Nova from persistent gender-based bullying and hostility” and “denied their child the ability to undergo a gender transition at Nova in a safe and timely way.”

Although the school initially denied the allegations, the school and the parents eventually reached an agreement, which has led to the new transgender policy.

Specific implications of the new policy will include gender neutral school uniforms, no “opt out” option for parents, which includes no obligation to notify parents of this new policy, and professional development for staff to educate them in how to implement this new policy.

 

Publication date: August 9, 2017