A school district in North Dakota is under fire after parents complained about keeping families in the dark regarding their children’s gender identities despite Republican state Gov. Doug Burgum’s law banning the shady practice earlier this month.
During a board meeting last Tuesday, parents took to the podium to air out their concerns about the policy.
Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota signed a bill prohibiting public schools and government offices from requiring its employees to use transgender pronouns: https://t.co/IRQbxMcNUl pic.twitter.com/hpsc5dTjGV
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“The way I heard it is that you want to protect kids from their parents,” one father alleged before slamming the policy and claiming that the district is “suppressing talk.”
“Not only do you think you know my kids better than I do, you think you know every kid better than every parent does by saying you will not deal with the parents … Won’t you be shocked to discover when this happens to one of your kids?” he asked.
Another parent also voiced their concerns about the district keeping them in the dark. “Whether or not you agree with the politics of the law or what is behind it, I really urge you all to pay attention to what we’re setting as a precedent,” the mother said.
“Whose kids are these? Do they belong to you as a school board? Do they belong to Fargo Public Schools or is each parent’s child ultimately the decision-maker in their family over what is allowed and what is safe for that child…?” she asked. “There is no possible way for each teacher to know every kid as intimately as their parents do.”
The district, like others around the country, cites the possibility of harmful home environments resulting from families’ unwillingness to accept their children’s decisions for their decision to withhold specific information regarding students’ gender identities from parents.
Reporters have reached out to the board members of Fargo Public Schools for comment, but they have not immediately returned the request.
The bill also addresses several key issues about transgenderism, including restroom policies that have dominated discussions across the U.S. recently. A report from last year warns that permitting students to use preferred pronouns that are not compatible with their biological sex may result in “major psychological harm.”
