Below is a testimony to the Highline School Board:
Good evening, Directors.
Earlier in my lengthy career as a mental health professional, I worked as a Social Worker for Child Protective Services. I worked hard at protecting children and took many parents to court. Some of these children were abused after their parents found out about misbehavior in school or poor academic performance. Obviously this is inappropriate and very sad. We never discuss, or even consider withholding report cards or information on misbehavior in school to ensure that children are not abused at home. Nor should we! Imagine a teacher telling a child: “You are getting an F in Reading. I need to notify your parents, if you will give me permission.” Or imagine an elementary school principal saying: “You were caught smoking methamphetamine in the bathroom and writing obscenities on the wall. I’m going to notify your parents, if that’s alright with you.” Obviously, these scenarios are ludicrous. So why have you approved and maintained a policy of withholding information from parents when their child has been persuaded that they really belong to the opposite sex, and school staff are buying into it? This policy is driven by an ideology of political correctness, and child safety is just an excuse to justify it. Parents have primary responsibility for the health of their children. Their right to know what is occurring in their child’s life and shape their child’s upbringing is absolutely fundamental. How can they exercise that right when the school conceals vital information about their child’s mental health, or even lies about it?
Board policy 3211 is a blanket policy which assumes all parents are potential child abusers. The right thing to do is to change board policy 3211 immediately and stop withholding vital information from parents. Thank you.
