Dignity over Discrimination: Protect Our CCS Trans Youth
Columbus City Schools Superintendent and Board of Education
Support Trans CCS Students!
On Wednesday, March 19, Columbus City Schools trans students’ safety was violated when the administration abruptly reverted students’ chosen names in CCS’s systems to the names on their birth certificates. This change was made with no notice to the affected students or families, and despite the fact that their parents and caregivers had formally requested that the district use their children’s chosen names.
This action caused immediate harm: a forced outing of CCS’s trans students, some of whom have been known to their teachers and classmates as their chosen name for years. According to a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, students who are allowed to use their chosen names at school experience 71% fewer symptoms of severe depression and a 65% decrease in suicide attempts.Schools should be safe places for all students. We demand dignity over discrimination. Columbus City Schools chose to violate the safety of our trans students by abruptly reverting students’ chosen names in CCS’s systems to the names on their birth certificates without parent consent or prior notice. Neither House Bill 8 (Parents’ Bill of Rights) nor Senate Bill 104 (the Bathroom Bill) require school districts to change students’ preferred names in their data systems.
Join us in demanding that the district protect the psychological and physical safety of our trans students by:
Immediately reinstate students’ chosen names as previously filed with the district by their parents and families,
Re-upload the name change request form to the CCS website regardless of an official board policy for its use,
Provide appropriate mental health services to the students and families affected,
Hire a student support specialist whose job is to support these students and families, train staff, and act as a liaison between students, families, and CCS personnel,
Improve anti-harassment and anti-bullying policies and procedures to protect students harmed by this forced outing,
Hold accountable the administration who caused this harm, and
Make a public apology to the students harmed.
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To:
Columbus City Schools Superintendent and Board of Education
From:
[Your Name]
On Wednesday, March 19, Columbus City Schools trans students’ safety was violated when the administration abruptly reverted students’ chosen names in CCS’s systems to the names on their birth certificates. This change was made with no notice to the affected students or families, and despite the fact that their parents and caregivers had formally requested that the district use their children’s chosen names.
This action caused immediate harm: a forced outing of CCS’s trans students, some of whom have been known to their teachers and classmates as their chosen name for years. According to a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, students who are allowed to use their chosen names at school experience 71% fewer symptoms of severe depression and a 65% decrease in suicide attempts.
Our schools should be safe places for all students. We demand dignity over discrimination. Columbus City Schools administration chose to violate the safety of our trans students by abruptly reverting students’ chosen names in CCS’s systems to the names on their birth certificates without parent consent or prior notice. We know that neither House Bill 8 (Parents’ Bill of Rights) nor Senate Bill 104 (the Bathroom Bill) require school districts to change students’ preferred names in their data systems.
I demand that you protect the psychological and physical safety of our trans students by:
- Immediately reinstating students’ chosen names as previously filed with the district by their parents and families,
- Re-uploading the name change request form to the CCS website regardless of an official board policy for its use,
- Providing appropriate mental health services to the students and families affected,
- Hiring a student support specialist whose job is to support these students and families, train staff, and act as a liaison between students, families, and CCS personnel,
- Improving anti-harassment and anti-bullying policies and procedures to protect students harmed by this forced outing,
- Holding accountable the administration who caused this harm, and
- Making a public apology to the students harmed.