Story at a glance
- The School District of Philadelphia will allow students to select a “nonbinary” gender identity on two online learning platforms.
- Teachers and school officials will also be required by the district to use students’ preferred gender pronouns.
- Philadelphia joins a growing number of public school districts to commit to providing a more inclusive learning environment.
A school district in Pennsylvania has announced it will add an option for students to select a “nonbinary” gender identity on two virtual education platforms.
The School District of Philadelphia’s Superintendent William Hite last week said the “nonbinary” option will appear alongside existing “male” and “female” gender markers on Infinite Campus and Google Classroom, which the school district uses for online learning.
It would affect how students’ names are printed on report cards or other assessments, according to a district blog post. Still, even if a student identifies as “nonbinary” on school documents, that won’t be reflected in state-run systems, which are required to use information from birth certificates.
The district is able to note to the Pennsylvania Department of Education that a student identifies as nonbinary, and it is advocating for change at the state and federal level to recognize a student’s gender regardless of what their birth certificate says, Hite wrote in a letter addressed to parents and families.
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“The School District of Philadelphia is committed to providing safe and inclusive learning environments that support the emotional and mental health of all our students,” he wrote.
Teachers and school officials will also be required to use a student’s preferred gender identity or pronouns, and the “persistent refusal” to do so will be considered a violation of district policy.
The change precedes a 2016 district policy advancing protections for transgender and gender non-conforming students.
Under that policy, students were guaranteed safety and inclusivity regardless of their gender identity and promised at least one gender neutral bathroom in every school. It also allowed students to dress according to their gender identity.
Philadelphia’s school district is one of many that have recently implemented policies to enhance inclusivity for transgender and nonbinary students.
Chicago Public Schools earlier this month required schools to display language outside of restrooms indicating they are open for use by “anyone who feels comfortable.”
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