Maryland school district dismantles transgender student protections under Trump pressure

A Maryland school district says school employees may no longer use LGBTQ+ students’ requested names or pronouns without parental permission.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools issued new guidance directing employees to follow a parent’s instructions regarding a student’s name, pronouns and bathroom use if the parent objects to recognizing the student’s gender identity. “If the parent does not agree, the school must comply with the parent’s request, including preferred name, group bathroom use and pronouns,” states an internal document sent to faculty and reviewed by The Baltimore Banner.

The guidance came less than two weeks after Anne Arundel County Public Schools Superintendent Mark Bedell announced that the district would end anti-outing policies and give parents or legal guardians access to all records concerning their children, even over a student’s objection.

Related: Trump’s education secretary claims schools are secretly transitioning children. They aren’t

That announcement followed the Trump administration’s threat to withhold federal funding from the school district. The administration alleged that the district’s previous policies violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, by protecting student privacy at the expense of parents’ access to information.

The changes have drawn opposition from the local teachers union. In an Aug. 20 email, Kristina Korona, president of the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County, warned that the policy changes “will begin harming affected students immediately.”

The district’s operational guidance establishes procedures requiring faculty and staff to obtain parental permission before using a student’s requested name or pronouns.

District spokesperson Bob Mosier noted that the school system was among the first in the country to develop policies supporting LGBTQ+ students.

“We have steadfastly supported all of our students and take seriously our obligations to follow privacy laws,” Mosier said in an email to The Baltimore Banner. “Our work has evolved as the issue has evolved, and that will continue to be the case.”

Related: Maryland school district caves to Trump and adopts forced outing policy to expose LGBTQ+ students

The changes come as the Trump administration has announced investigations into school districts in Maryland, Michigan, and Vermont, with Education Secretary Linda McMahon accusing schools of “secretly transitioning” children and hiding those actions from parents. The Education Department has referred Anne Arundel County Public Schools to the Justice Department for investigation.

“This is a travesty that parents are not considered first and foremost in charge of their children,” McMahon said. “They don't belong to the government.”