On June 12, the largest public school system in the country issued new guidelines on how schools should support transgender and “gender-expansive” students.
The New York State Education Department promulgated a 42-page document outlining how educators should address trans-identifying students. The state’s directive mirrors the guidance previously issued by the National Education Association (NEA), which released a similar document in 2015 titled “Schools in Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools.” The Freedom Foundation uncovered the stunning report last month, which reveals the near decade long push by the teachers union for radical gender ideology in the classroom.
New York’s new public school policies are eerily similar to the NEA’s 2015 guide. Both documents begin with an introduction that insists students — therefore, minors — are able to be neither male nor female, may change their gender day by day, and go so far as instructing teachers on how to keep a student’s gender transition a secret from the child’s parents.
The New York State Education Department document declares:
“Some TGE (transgender and gender expansive) students have not talked to their families about their gender identity because of safety concerns or lack of acceptance and may begin their transition at school without parent/guardian knowledge.” It continues, “Only the student knows whether it is safe to share their identity with caregivers, and schools should be mindful that some TGE students do not want or cannot have their parents/guardians know about their transgender status.”
The guidance goes on to mandate that all employees and students conform, demanding:
“All school staff members and students must refer to students by their chosen names and pronouns and schools should create opportunities to confirm the correct information with all their students in a manner that respects student privacy.”
Even further, the schools will censure anyone who doesn’t conform:
“Intentionally referring to a student, verbally or in writing, by a pronoun inconsistent with the student’s gender identity or by a name other than the student’s affirmed name is a NYS Human Rights Law violation and is unacceptable.”
Imagine getting a call from the principal’s office because your child called a boy a boy or called a girl a girl. Even worse, imagine finding out your 8th grader is “transitioning” behind your back, and the school district is intentionally preventing you from finding out.
Continuing to ignore science, the guidance requires that:
“Students must be permitted to participate in all school activities (for example, day and overnight field trips) in accordance with their gender identity asserted at school.”
Additionally, transgender and “gender expansive” students must be provided access to facilities such as restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms consistent with their gender identity asserted at school.
These mind-boggling assertions mimic the NEA’s 2015 guidance, which declared that regardless of the feelings of their peers, transgender students must be allowed to use the restroom that matches their new gender identity. The teachers union guidance also defies biological facts by insisting that transgender students do not have any athletic advantage and must be allowed to join sports teams that reflect their new gender identity.
This Left-wing propaganda crafted by the NEA in 2015 has finally infiltrated the largest public school system in the country and not without consequences. The number of young people who identify as transgender has nearly doubled in recent years.
It is obvious the NY guidance was inspired by the NEA’s guidelines seeking to bombard our youth with progressive politics instead of actually educating them.
In May, New York’s Democratic committee passed a resolution that called for elected officials and the governor to create a statewide LGBTQ curriculum for public schools.
The Left-wing indoctrination train has left the station, and it’s up to teachers and parents to be aware of these radical initiatives and put an end to this attack on our children.
Juliana Rubio is a communications strategist and spokesperson of the Freedom Foundation.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.