Ohio school district tells teachers they don’t have to inform parents of students’ name, pronoun changes

An Ohio school district recently informed teachers they have no obligation to inform parents if a transgender or transitioning student as young as 11 requests to be called by a different name or pronoun.

On Aug. 31, Mentor Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Timothy Hamman sent an email to teachers in grades 6-12 saying they don’t have to notify parents of a name or pronoun change if the student only requests it informally and does not ask for it to be changed in Google or the Infinite Campus parent portal.

“If a student shares with a teacher what preferred name they would like to be called, and the student does not want it changed in IC or Google, there really is no need to go any further,” the email, obtained by Parents Defending Education (PDE) and shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, stated. 

“That teacher can just use those preferred pronouns/name with the student and there is no need to share the info with any other staff member or family member unless the student would like additional support with this throughout the year.”

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The district issued a statement to Fox News Digital saying its practices “will always focus on the best ways to meet the safety needs of our students and staff.”

“We will continue to work with our board members and legal counsel to determine the guidelines we will follow as the federal regulations and court cases around these topics evolve,” the district said.

The district did not answer Fox News Digital’s questions asking if teachers are obligated to notify the parents if the student does want the change in IC and Google or whether it’s the district’s position that an 11-year-old is mentally capable of deciding his or her own gender transition and beginning that transition at school without the parents knowing.

“Schools implementing these types of internal guidelines are violating parental rights by purposefully keeping them in the dark and preventing them from directing the upbringing and education of their minor children,” PDE’s Director of Community Engagement, Mailyn Salabarria, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“If the goal is to provide a welcoming and supportive environment for the student, why do they have to hide it from the parents? Instead, transparency and proper notification of the legally responsible parties — the parents — should be the No. 1 step in any of these circumstances.”