Policy affecting trans students under review at Mesa Public Schools
The board plans to seek legal advice on a proposed policy that could affect transgender students.
MESA, Ariz. — The Mesa Public Schools Governing Board is planning to seek legal advice on a proposed policy titled “gender dysphoria.”
During a meeting on April 8, board member Sharon Benson brought forward a set of proposed policies she said would strengthen the parental rights of district families.
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A draft of the policy states parents need to be brought in “the decision-making process for mental health and social-emotional issues of their children at the earliest possible time.”
The draft further states MPS needs to receive written permission from a parent before addressing a student by a name or pronoun that differs from the student’s “biological sex” or what’s listed in official school records.
In addition, the draft states the district will not compel MPS staff or students to address another student “in any manner that would violate the speaker’s First Amendment rights.”
Benson said she is not advocating for the mistreatment of anyone and insisted that the government should not be interfering with parental rights.
“We as teachers, we as people who are not directly related to these children do not have a right to interfere with the way a family wants to raise their children,” Benson said during the board meeting.
Board member Marcie Hutchinson said she has concerns about some of the language of the proposed policy and believes it may conflict with the district’s existing anti-bullying policy.
“I believe our current policy is one of respect,” Hutchinson said. “We’ve had many parents, many of our former students talk about how they have felt supported and respected.”
MPS already has guidelines for supporting transgender and gender nonconforming students, which can be found here.
The East Valley school district has previously been challenged in court with how it treats trans students. Board member Rachel Walden filed a lawsuit against the district in 2023, attempting to have the courts throw out the district’s guidelines for trans students.
A Maricopa County judge dismissed that lawsuit last summer.
The school board did not officially take any action on the proposed policy and instead decided to seek legal advice on the matter.
A draft of the proposed policy presented during the April 8 board meeting can be found below: