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California mother Erin Friday warns parents about California and Minnesota bills that protect children who want to transition.
A Rhode Island school district is weighing a policy that would reverse its existing practice of keeping a student's preferred name, pronouns and/or restroom preference secret if the student doesn't want their family to know.
The new proposal would require teachers who suspect a middle or high school student is thinking about transitioning genders to inform that student's parent or guardian of the decision.
Parents discussed the proposed policy at a recent board meeting, with many arguing that parents have a right to know about what is going on in their child's life.
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Smithfield, Rhode Island, board members are considering a policy that would require teachers to report students gender transitions to parents. (Uprise RI Screenshot/YouTube)
"These students are still minors, and parents still need to be involved and guide their children in life altering events," one speaker said during the meeting.
"Involvement in that process is well within the scope of parental fundamental rights," another said.
Though many parents are supportive of the change, other parents and groups say it would put children in harm's way, potentially opening them up to rejection from their families at home if their decisions are outed without their approval.
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Demonstrators display a "Protect Trans Rights" flag during a protest. (Andrea Ronchini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
One woman in attendance, for instance, said, "When a student says they don't feel comfortable we need to listen to them."
Another confronted the policy, warning the board that its implementation would be "detrimental and unnecessary" to trans students who worry their families will oppose their lifestyle choices.
"The requirement of your proposal for teachers and school officials to disclose students gender decision to intolerant parents will be detrimental and unnecessary," the attendee said.
Uprise RI, a Rhode Island progressive news outlet, slammed the proposed policy as well, writing in an article published Sunday that a first reading of the policy "did not make it clear that the proposed changes may go against best practices recommended by Rhode Island’s Department of Education and possibly state and federal laws."
The article continued, lambasting Republican members Committee Chair Richard Iannitelli, Vice-Chair Jessica Sala, and Committee member Amanda Fafard, accusing them of having a "lack of understanding about the issues at hand" as well as a "clear right-wing ideological bias."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Smithfield School Committee for comment.
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