A Southwest Washington school district violated state policies by prohibiting teachers from asking students for their pronouns, a state agency ruled last week.
The Washington Office of Public Instruction told the La Center district last Wednesday that its 2022 policy is discriminatory and “rooted in negative, or even hostile, perceptions of gender-expansive identities.”
The agency also determined that several other district policies don’t comply with state laws — including a requirement to notify parents of any students’ name or pronoun change and a ban on teaching any materials that could “lead children to question their gender identity.”
The district’s policies differ from the model required under state law and fail to “address the unique challenges and needs faced by transgender students in public schools in a nondiscriminatory manner,” the agency said.
In a social media post responding to the state’s investigation, La Center School District Superintendent Peter Rosenkranz called the state’s findings baseless and said they were “an insult to our district, our educators, and the parents who support policies that prioritize both student well-being and parental rights.”
The ruling is the latest development in the ongoing controversy surrounding the anti-discriminatory policies at La Center School District, which serves about 1,800 students in Clark County.
Rosenkranz first told teachers in late 2022 they could not ask students for their pronouns and directed them to assume the pronouns of all students. Although asking students for their pronouns was often well-intentioned, Rosenkranz said, the practice had prompted angry responses from some parents, which contributed to the policy change.
In response, more than 30 district staff and faculty submitted a complaint to the district’s civil rights coordinator, stating that the policy potentially violated district and state policies. They also said the rule “creates a systemic barrier towards full inclusivity of LGBTQ students.”
The controversy in the rural community mirrors the national divide regarding educators’ asking students about their pronouns. Opponents argue doing so pressures students to question their identities, while proponents say the practice creates more inclusive classrooms and improves students’ wellbeing.
In February 2023, after an outside investigator hired by the district found that the policy did not violate any policies, students and teachers appealed the ruling to the state agency, which opened its investigation in April that year.
The state’s decision also requires the district to update its anti-discriminatory policies and no longer require notifying parents of any students’ requested name or pronouns changes, among other changes. The school district has the option to appeal the state’s ruling.
The district must also identify and eliminate any bias in its process for selecting educational materials and require all district administrators and teachers to undergo bias awareness training.
In his statement, Rosenkranz said the school district is exploring a potential legal challenge to the state’s findings.
“We have repeatedly attempted to engage (the agency) in revising their flawed and overreaching policy, but they refused to collaborate,” he said. “We will not stand by while (the state) erodes parental authority and forces schools to act against families' best interests.”
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