Chicago Teachers Union: Don’t tell parents their student’s pronouns

The Chicago Teachers Union’s leaders want teachers to keep parents in the dark if their child asks to go by a different name or pronouns in school. The school district is OK with that.

If a student asks to go by a different name or pronouns in class, the Chicago Teachers Union wants teachers to keep parents out of the loop, and Chicago Public Schools is going along with it.

A tentative agreement between CTU and Chicago Public Schools would solidify a policy for teachers to withhold information from parents regarding a student’s preferred name, pronouns and gender identity.

“LGBTQ+ Safe Schools. The parties share the goal of school being a place where the identities of students and staff are respected, valued, and affirmed. We must also respect students’ privacy, especially if parents or family members do not know how students identify or express their identity. Similarly, while it is important for staff members to use people’s preferred names and pronouns, we also know that it is possible to make mistakes unintentionally. In general, we should assume best intentions, but recognize that impact must be addressed and people should continually work to improve,” the proposal reads.

Simply put, if a student chooses to go by a different name or pronouns, teachers would keep it a secret from the parents if they don’t already know.

The policy also ignores the fact teachers may be uncomfortable hiding information from parents about a child. Teachers in Kansas and California sued their school districts for that very reason.

New York City Public Schools in June implemented a policy that allows excluding parents from information about a student’s gender and sexuality. If a student there chooses to go by a certain name at school, teachers are instructed to call the student by a different name when interacting with parents if that is the student’s preference.

Chicago Public Schools already offers similar guidance on student gender and sexuality questions: “School staff shall not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender or non-binary identity or gender nonconforming presentation to others without the student’s consent or unless authorized by the Law Department,” district guidance states. But adding the guidance to the teachers’ contract set it in stone, and keeps the district from amending the policy in the future.

Parents have a right to know what happens to their children at school. They should be partners with educators, not treated by CTU as untrustworthy enemies of their own children, and especially not with the school district their taxes support complicit in that disenfranchisement.

CTU announced on its website the tentative agreement with the district on this provision. The full contract has not yet been negotiated and approved.