Wichita Public Schools
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Updated – March 22, 2023
According to Fox News, Wichita Public Schools’ “gender support plan” asks students many questions regarding gender identity, access to certain facilities, and more. The form also requests information regarding which changing rooms and restrooms students will use.
Questions in this plan state,
- “Are the guardian(s) of this student aware and supportive of their child’s gender transition?”
- “Who will be the student’s ‘go to’ adult at school?”
- “Can the student’s preferred name and gender marker be reflected in the student information system? If so, how? If not, please provide an explanation.”
Additionally, there are training presentations for teachers, one titled ‘LGBTQ+ Students: Pronouns and More.’ This training “cites GLSEN, which has promoted teaching elementary school students about LGBTQ+ issues, to define a number of terms, including ‘gender identity,’ ‘gender expression’ and ‘cisgender.’”
Parents Defending Education (PDE) also obtained district training documents for staff which claim public schools are “hostile places” for the LGBTQ+ community, and educators are responsible for maintaining student support.
The district has resources online titled, “Accommodating Transgender Students and Staff.” According to Fox News, the presentation advises staff to use preferred names and gender pronouns. See the pictures below:
3 News reports that teachers are required to refer to a student by their preferred pronouns or name. This is with or without parental consent, as “it could lead to death” otherwise.
Published – October 5, 2021
In August of 2021, The Wichita School Board voted unanimously to mandate masks in all schools.
The district’s website articulates that they do not teach Critical Race Theory. They do, however, promote equity in education. They claim to “strategically make decisions based upon principles of fairness,” essentially giving more opportunities to students they feel deserve more.
Wichita Public Schools is located in the heart of Wichita, Kansas. As the largest school district in the state, it is home to 47,236 students across 91 schools.
