Trust is an integral aspect of education.
Parents trust that the school has their children’s best interest at heart. Students trust that what teachers are telling them is factual and critical for learning. Teachers trust that when students apply themselves, learning will result.
In the real world, these aspirational standards sometimes fall short. We are, after all, human and humans are imperfect. However, success in education is rooted in the belief that teachers begin each day with the best interests of their students in mind.
And that brings me to SB 154 now under consideration in the West Virginia Legislature. The stated purpose of the bill by supporters is to prohibit instruction related to sexual orientation. However, one provision of the bill requires teachers to report to parents when a student requests an accommodation “intended to confirm a change in the student’s identity that is different from a student’s biological sex.”
A teacher or school employee suspected of not complying would be subject to an investigation. If the complaint is NOT substantiated, the parent or guardian can appeal to the local board of education. The board can grant the appeal or request additional fact finding. It does not allow for the school board to uphold the school’s decision that the complaint was unsubstantiated.
A teacher or employee found to have violated the rule would be sanctioned or even fired for repeated offenses. The bill clears the way for civil action against the school system. Teachers cannot use the grievance process to challenge these decisions and likewise may not be able to seek redress from the courts.
There are a couple of ways to view this.
Supporters see this bill as a matter of parental rights. If a student tells a teacher that they want to be known as “Robert” instead of “Roberta,” then parents should know. That is logical. However, is there any evidence that teachers or school employees are currently hiding that from parents? If there is, that should be part of the arguments in favor of the bill.
Opponents reasonably worry about the practical application. What happens when a student confides in a teacher that they are struggling with gender identity issues and they don’t know where to turn? What if the student has an unstable or unsupportive home life? Under this bill, it appears the teacher would still have to report the information to the parents.
Teachers who fear getting in trouble will feel compelled to report any such conversations or simply cut short any student-teacher encounter where the issue might arise. Currently, we trust teachers to keep parents informed about issues with their children, and it would help if more parents took an interest in getting to know their children’s teachers and went to parent-teacher meetings.
A report by the National Library of Medicine cited numerous studies verifying the importance of trust between teacher and student for learning and academic success. That trust is built on interpersonal relationships, empathy and respect.
The mandatory reporting provision of SB 154 has the potential of eroding that trust. It makes it even harder for dedicated teachers to do their jobs, while limiting options for struggling students to confide in someone they trust.