About a month ago I met a parent at Willow; she reached out to me the following morning. She wanted to know my perspective on transgender students receiving assistance to transition by LVUSD staff without the parent's knowledge.

First off, my opinion on transitioning is, to each, their own. It is none of my business what anyone wants to do to themselves, and vice versa.

My problem is that the District thinks it is okay to attend workshops to learn how to help students transition without the parent's knowledge, and this is where I draw the line.

Suppose a student with gender dysphoria confides in a teacher. In that case, the teacher should immediately refer the child to speak to a school counselor because a school counselor is accredited to deal with these types of situations, not the teacher.

Once the school counselor handles it, they must notify the parents immediately because gender transitioning is a personal situation between the student, the parents, and their family doctor. The school should have nothing to do with it beyond helping the student break the news to their family.

Suppose the student is against the school counselor involving the parents because the student fears their safety. In that case, the counselor should notify the police immediately because that is what a school counselor is supposed to do when there is a threat to the student's safety.

The teachers, the counselors, and the administration should not be involved in anything else. I hope that LVUSD stops playing with people's children because they are not your kids. The kids do not belong to the schools, nor do they belong to the community. The sooner we can all agree upon this and have everyone mind their business, the better off we will be.



Las Virgenes Unified School District

Josh Alpert for LVUSD School Board 2022