Please see below for frequently asked questions about individual support for transgender and non-binary students in PSD, as fully outlined in the Guidelines for Supporting Transgender and Non-Binary Students.
The FAQs are organized into three sections:
- Transgender and Non-Binary Students Seeking Support at School
- Parents/Guardians of Transgender and Non-Binary Students Seeking Support at School
- Parents/Guardians with Concerns About Staff Supporting Students’ Gender Identity at School
Transgender and Non-Binary Students Seeking Support at School
How can I update my name and gender in Synergy? If I update my name in Synergy, will that update my name in other places?
How can I update my name and gender in Synergy?
If you have not legally changed your name and/or gender, you can update these in Synergy so that your affirming name and gender are visible in StudentVUE, ParentVUE, and TeacherVUE. To do this, meet with your school counselor to get a Name and/or Gender Update Request Form to fill out with your parent(s)/guardian(s).
If you have legally changed your name and/or gender, your parent/guardian can give documentation of this legal change to your school registrar so that your information in Synergy can be updated.
If I update my name in Synergy, will that update my name in other places?
Any digital application that gets student information from Synergy will update your name. However, your school is required to report and use your legal name on certain documents, like state tests, the PSAT and SAT, and other official documents. You can talk with your school counselor about ways that school staff can support you in the situations that require the school to use your legal name.
Are people at school allowed to use my legal name instead of my affirming name?
There may be instances when a person makes a mistake and unintentionally uses your incorrect name, form of address, or pronoun at school. This mistake can be addressed or corrected to support an affirming environment for you, and you can talk with your school counselor about what these corrections can look and sound like to make sure it is done in a supportive manner. However, a person cannot deliberately misuse your name, form of address, or pronoun. Both PSD policy and Colorado law prohibits this deliberate misgendering, and you can report this to a trusted adult at school.
What restroom am I allowed to use at school?
You can use a restroom that aligns with your gender identity. If you identify as male or female, you can use the corresponding male or female restroom. If you are non-binary or need privacy, you can talk with your school counselor to identify where gender-inclusive or single-stall restrooms are located at your school.
Where can I change my clothes for PE class or sports?
You can use the locker room or a changing area that aligns with your gender identity. If you identify as male or female, you can use the corresponding male or female locker room. If you are non-binary or need privacy, you can talk with your school counselor about options that are supportive and protect your privacy and safety, such as changing in gender-inclusive or private changing areas or creating an alternate changing schedule.
Can I join a gendered sports team?
Yes, you can. Most middle and high school sports teams are sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA), whose policy states that transgender students who identify as male or female can participate on a corresponding male or female sports team. If you are non-binary or gender fluid, you can still join a male or female sports team, but you have to choose one gender to participate with for all CHSAA-sanctioned sports teams. You can meet with your school counselor to get a Trangender Student-Athlete Statement of Gender Identity for CHSAA form to complete with a parent/guardian.
Who will I be assigned to room with on an overnight school trip?
You will have access to overnight room assignments that align with your gender identity, and you can talk with your school counselor about assignments that are safe and affirming. Usually, transgender students who identify as male or female are assigned to rooms with other male or female students. If you identify as male or female, you can talk with your school counselor to identify supportive peers as potential roommates to help maintain your privacy and safety. If you are non-binary, you can talk with your school counselor to create a supportive option that is inclusive of your gender identity rather than being assigned to a male or female room.
What should I do if I experience discrimination or harassment?
You can report incidents of discrimination or harassment to a trusted staff member, an administrator, or on the See Something, Say Something website.
Parents/Guardians of Transgender and Non-Binary Students Seeking Support at School
Does changing my student’s name in Synergy constitute a legal name change?
No. Changing your student’s name in Synergy will allow for their affirming name to appear in StudentVUE, ParentVUE, and TeacherVUE, which will allow all school staff to know and use this name as a supportive measure. Your student’s legal name will still appear on certain documents, such as state assessments, due to the district’s state reporting requirements.
Can I initiate a meeting with school staff about support for my student?
Yes, you can set up a meeting with your student’s school counselor to discuss your student’s individual gender support at school.
What should I do if my student requests accommodations to have more privacy on an overnight trip?
You can talk with your student’s school counselor about individual needs of your student, including a request for a private room or identifying supportive peers as potential roommates to help protect your student’s privacy.
What can I do if my student is experiencing discrimination or harassment?
You can encourage your student to report incidents of discrimination or harassment to a trusted staff member, an administrator, or on the See Something, Say Something website. If your student is hesitant to report it themselves, you can also talk with an administrator at your student’s school or submit a report on the See Something, Say Something website.
Parents/Guardians with Concerns About Staff Supporting Students’ Gender Identity at School
Who initiates gender support at school?
Transgender and non-binary students, or their parent(s)/guardian(s), can initiate a conversation about individual gender support with their school counselor. If transgender and non-binary students express a need for gender support to another school staff member, the staff member may refer the student to the school counselor to discuss additional support that the student may need, but this conversation with the school counselor will always be student-centered and student-driven.
Does PSD allow students to use the restroom and locker rooms that align with their gender identity regardless of the sex assigned at birth?
Yes. Colorado law requires schools, along with other places of public accommodation, to allow individuals the use of gender-segregated facilities, including restrooms and locker rooms, that are consistent with their gender identity. This law also requires covered entities, which includes schools, to make reasonable accommodations to allow this access to gender-segregated facilities when undressing in the presence of others occurs, such as in a locker room.
What if a male student pretends to be a girl so that he can use the female restroom/locker room?
Male students cannot use female restrooms or locker rooms, as that would not be the gender-segregated facility that aligns with the student’s gender identity. A student who is claiming to be a different gender for some improper purpose is different from a transgender student, and therefore the guidelines do not apply to this situation. Pretending to be a different gender for an improper purpose would constitute student misconduct, and staff members would address this behavior. Any student who witnesses such misconduct can report it to a trusted adult at school.
Why won’t the school counselor immediately inform a parent/guardian if their student tells the counselor that they are transgender or non-binary?
A school counselor will support transgender and non-binary students who are in the process of coming out to their parent(s)/guardian(s), as appropriate, and will encourage parent/guardian involvement in conversations about ways school staff can support the student’s gender identity. Like all school counseling support, this support will be student-centered and student-directed so that the student decides how, when, and with whom to come out based on their comfort and readiness. To the extent possible, the school counselor will not out the student to their parent(s)/guardian(s) before the student is ready to come out themselves.
For all students, the counseling relationship between the student and their school counselor requires trust so that the student feels confident engaging in meaningful and honest conversations. Part of building trust with students includes the school counselor’s ethical and legal obligation to keep information contained within that relationship, as addressed in the American School Counseling Association (ASCA)’s Ethical Standards for School Counselors (2022). School counselors balance the inherent legal right of parents and guardians to their student’s information and the potential impact this sharing could have on the student and the student’s trust in sharing future concerns with the school counselor.
Do these guidelines direct school staff to lie to parents/guardians about their student’s gender identity?
No. School staff will respect the degree to which transgender and non-binary students are out, but school staff will not lie to parents/guardians about their student’s gender identity. If a parent/guardian has questions about whether their student has discussed and requested gender-related support at school, they can connect with their student’s school counselor. School counselors will address parent/guardian questions about any topic, including this topic, by providing accurate information in a caring manner, as appropriate and consistent with the school counselor’s legal and ethical responsibilities to the students and parents/guardians.
Can I instruct school staff to not use a name or pronoun with my student at school that is different from the name and pronoun I use at home?
You can request that school staff not use a student’s gender-affirming name or pronoun, but school staff cannot accommodate this request because it would constitute harassment of your student. PSD policy prohibits harassment based on gender identity or gender expression, which includes deliberately misusing a transgender student’s name or gender-related pronoun. Colorado law prohibits unlawful harassment, which includes deliberately misusing an individual’s name or gender-related pronoun. School staff cannot and will not harass your student, and therefore they will use your student’s gender-affirming name and pronoun at school.
Do schools give students hormone therapy?
No. Hormone therapy is a medical treatment that is acquired through a medical doctor, and school staff cannot and do not provide any kind of medical treatment.
If my student has an Individual Gender Support form, can I access it?
Yes. Any student’s Individual Gender Support Form is a part of the student’s education record, which parent(s)/guardian(s) of that student can request through the Records Department in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Can I complete an Individual Gender Support Form for my student to ensure that the school only affirms my student’s sex assigned at birth?
No. School staff will affirm every student’s gender identity, including your student’s gender identity, to ensure every student has access to a school environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based on gender identity and/or expression. School staff cannot agree to only affirm your student’s sex assigned at birth, as this would amount to them agreeing to hypothetically discriminate against and harass your student in the future if your student communicates a transgender or non-binary identity at school.