Last week, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to states saying schools must share gender identity information with parents.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has forwarded those letters to Arizona public schools.
The letter sent March 28 said that many schools and states have misinterpreted federal student privacy laws, preventing parents from knowing when their child is using another name or pronoun at school.
In a press release this week, Horne said he forwarded the letter to Arizona schools, notifying them that they must submit documentation that shows they’re following federal privacy law in order to uphold parents’ rights or risk losing federal funds.
He wrote that the secretary of education has a right to be concerned and said “Misinforming parents or withholding information is an outrageous abuse of a school’s authority.”
Some LGBTQ youth advocates say most schools try to involve parents but not all of them are safe or supportive.
The federal guidance requires schools and the state to provide documentation assuring the U.S. Department of Education of compliance with this directive by April 30.
