I think they covered this on South Park when Mr Garrison became Mrs Garrison.
Have we had this problem with, say, Catholic schoolchildren refusing to call a divorced and remarried Catholic teacher by her new married name? Since according to Catholic doctrine the remarriage of a Catholic is invalid if a previous spouse is still living (and the marriage wasn’t annulled)?
Somehow I doubt it. If schools were really not permitted to compel students to address teachers by the teachers’ officially recognized names and titles, ISTM we’d have a significantly larger problem than occasional clashes about transgender identity.
Huh. We always did it to keep some space between ourselves and the students. Got in trouble as a kid for calling a teacher by her first name in class.
I have a friend who is a teacher and wishes she could ask students to call her by her first name (her last name is Focht and you know how kids are). School policy does not allow it.
Ms. F isn’t much better. It’s a no-win situation. Maybe she could go with Ms. Jane if her name is Jane Doe?
While I don’t think there is such a case, consider also the likelihood of ultrareligious Catholic parents sending their child to public school rather than Catholic school. In a Catholic school, depending on how orthodox, that teacher might be fired so as to avoid corrupting the young.
~Max
Sure, but AFAICT this thread is about what students and/or teachers can and cannot be compelled to do by a public school.
I don’t think such a case is absurd as a matter of law. I just think it’s unlikely that such a religious Catholic family would send their kids to public school in the first place.
~Max
Imagine you have an 11 year old child who gets an assignment to introduce themselves, including preferred pronouns, at their new 6th grade class. That assignment, which did not include parental input, upset you so much you complained to the school about it.
Then, a few months later, your child asks to speak with a teacher after school. Your child indicates to their teacher that they are experiencing insecurity, low self-esteem, poor self-image, and a perceived lack of popularity. They say that they had told a friend that they likes girls and that they had been watching YouTube videos which presented the message that she was “born that way. Your child goes on to tell the teacher that she was depressed and needed help but was not sure how to ask her parents about getting help. The teacher then contacts you and lets you know this information (because your child feels safer telling a teacher than you).
Do you get a therapist for your child? Yes, you do. Because you’re a human being.
But do you then send a letter to the concerned teachers that they are forbidden from talking to your child about any of this at all? And how do you react when your child sends an email to the school and teachers, once again specifically stating:
“Hello everyone, If you are reading this you are either my teacher or guidance counselor. I have an announcement to make and I trust you guys with this information. I am genderqueer. Basically, it means I use any pronouns (other than it/its). This also means I have a name change. My new name will be R****. Please call me by that name. If you deadname me or use any pronouns I am not comfortable with I will politely tell you. I am telling you this because I feel like I can trust you. A list of pronouns you can use are: she/her he/him they/them fae/faerae/aer ve/ver xe/xem ze/zir. I have added a link so you can look at how to say them. Please only use the ones I have listed and not the other ones. I do not like them. Thank you.”?
You, of course, sue the school for doing what your child requested. And for actively supporting your child and trying to make the child more comfortable with their situation. Because it interferes with your “parental rights”, and your “right to free exercise”.
It’s a long, messy, and incredibly sad story. You can find the parent’s legal complaint here.