Wichita Public Schools: Not Using ‘Preferred Pronouns’ Can ‘Lead to Death’

The Wichita, Kansas, public school district trains teachers that not using a “preferred pronoun” with a “transgender”-identifying student “could lead to death,” according to a public records request.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request submitted by Parents Defending Education (PDE) also found that Wichita Public Schools instructs teachers to keep signs of gender dysphoria secret from parents and ignore the wishes of parents regarding their child’s “gender identity.”

“To not use the preferred pronouns and/or names can equate to discrimination,” teacher training says. “To allow a parents wishes to not use the students’ preferred pronouns and/or names is to allow yourself to be deputized to discriminate. This is not acceptable.”

“Are the guardian(s) of this student aware and supportive of their child’s gender transition?” the district’s “gender support plan for students” asks. “Who will be the student’s ‘go to’ adult at school?”

The teacher training, titled “LGBTQ+ Students: Pronouns and More,” asserts that “schools are hostile places for LGBTQ+ students” and that not using a “preferred pronoun” or name they chose to go by to “affirm” their “gender identity” may lead to depression and even suicide.

“If family doesn’t support them, LGBTQ+ students are 8 to 10 times more likely to die by suicide than other teens,” the training says. “The lack of using pronouns could lead to death. We are here to support and educate students, not to judge them or push them over the proverbial edge.”

Wichita Public Schools “estimated” more than 340 staff members who “identify as LGBTQ+” including an estimated over 100 who “identify as transgender.”

The presentation also estimates “350+ students that [sic] identify as transgender.”

A release from PDE points out that district staff identify as “transgender” and more than double the rate of students.

“Under the doctrine of ‘in loco parentis,’ schools are delegated some measure of authority over children during the course of the school day,” PDE president Nicole Neily said. “However, this certainly does not mean that public school officials replace or supplant the role of the family – which sadly, far too many taxpayer-funded educators seem to have forgotten.”

“To undermine parents’ right to direct the upbringing of their children is not only immoral, but also illegal,” Neily concluded.

Breccan F. Thies is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @BreccanFThies.