UK schools will not be required to use students’ preferred pronouns and will have to inform parents of a student who requests to change their gender under the new guidelines.
The parent-centered approach to gender transition, if approved, will “take a very cautious approach” to key decisions related to student gender and health.
“Parents’ views must also be at the heart of all decisions made about their children,” Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said, according to the BBC.
In situations where the child may be at risk if parents are informed, schools can bypass parental consent, according to the document.
The guidelines also state that schools do not have a “general duty” to allow students to “socially transition,” meaning educators will not be pressured to use different pronouns.
Instead, they are urged to exercise caution, including “periods of watchful waiting and ensuring that parents are fully consulted before any decisions are made.”
Schools in England will have to follow new guidelines which include keeping parents informed when their children decide they want to make the gender transition. Drazen – stock.adobe.com
In addition, bathrooms and locker rooms, as well as some sports, will be separated according to birth sex.
“Schools must always protect single-sex spaces when it comes to bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms,” the document said.
“Responding to a request to support any degree of social transition should not include allowing access to these spaces. By default, all children must use the bathrooms, showers and changing rooms designated for their biological sex, unless it causes them distress to do so.”
Schools can offer gender-neutral options when it comes to bathrooms, but it must be a single-stall facility that can be “secured from the inside.”
As for single-sex schools, institutions will have the right to deny admission to those with gender questions.
The new guidelines, which were introduced by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan (left) and Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch, are now subject to a 12-week public consultation before being finalised. fake images
In addition, educators are advised not to adopt new names or pronouns until they have been “agreed by the school or university in accordance with appropriate procedures and, in the vast majority of cases, with parental consent.”
Schools will also be required to record the name and biological sex of each student on official documents.
The new guidelines, which were introduced by Keegan and Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch, are now subject to a 12-week public consultation before being finalised, according to the BBC.
Significant legal risks have already been flagged as school leaders worry that following the strict guidelines could land them in court.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, says it is “vital” that schools are “confident that any guidance they follow does not expose them to the risk of legal action,” The Guardian reported.
However, a government spokesperson said the guidelines are “legal” and “will help schools address these complex and sensitive issues, urging caution, parental involvement and prioritizing safeguards at all times,” they told The Guardian.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn