A Maine school district policy allows teachers to conceal students' gender identities from their parents, sparking outrage with a parents' rights group.by advocacy group Parents Defending Education . The policy aims to create a welcoming school environment and assist with "the educational and social integration and development of transgender and gender expansive students," according to the district's website.
The directives are problematic for PDE researcher Rhyen Staley, who argues they violate parents' rights. However, Gia Thomas, the executive director of EqualityMaine and a former teacher, feels policies like LPS's affirm to LGBTQ+ students what their rights are. We want to make sure that young people have the rights to be themselves at schools, and if they don't feel comfortable yet coming out to their parents ... that this gives them an avenue to be themselves at school and develop a plan to eventually come out to their parents when they feel safe enough to do so," she continued.eliminated