Natrona County School District’s policy 4010 was adopted on June 10th, further protecting parental rights over their child’s well-being.
For students, parents, and staff, this policy brings to the forefront the debate on what parents need to know.
The fight for parental rights intensified during COVID-19 as online school provided parents a window into their children’s education. As this continued throughout the years, Wyoming state representative Bear proposed House Bill 0190. This bill failed to be introduced but led to Senate File 0009.
Although this bill was passed through state legislation, Governor Mark Gordon refused to sign it. This led to Wyoming legislators voting a second time to override the governor’s veto. Following the bill becoming law the Natrona County School Board created policy 4010.
Within Policy 4010 is a set of rules, including one that requires school staff to report any changes in student’s physical, mental, emotional, or educational well-being to the school principal. The principal is then in charge of deciding if the parent should be notified and who should be responsible for notifying the parent.
Students have mixed emotions about the new policy. “I can see the purpose of it and why it was probably passed in the first place and why it could be a good thing, but I mean, I can’t help but think about privacy. There is some students that don’t have a good home life, and they don’t want their parents knowing everything, and if they can’t even talk to their teachers about something that’s bothering them anymore without it being reported, then I can see how that can cause further issues for some people,” said one senior attending Natrona County High School.
One student who identifies as transgender feels this policy will have negative implications for all students working through their gender identity. “Um, a certain group of people, me included, like transgender kids, can’t really talk to their parents about it all the time. So having a safe space in school is really important, and when they don’t have that, it’s kind of, you know, it takes away one more safe space where they could be more open and feel like themselves,” said one junior at NCHS.
Contrary to some students’ feelings, others feel this policy doesn’t go far enough to accomplish what SF0009 was meant to achieve. In an interview conducted via email with State Representative Jeanette Ward, who worked on the bill, she referred the reporter to her comments made at an NCSD board meeting conducted on June 10. “I am disappointed that the proposed definition of ‘change in a student’s educational, physical, mental, or emotional health or well-being’ does not include desire to be referred to by a different name or pronouns, as that was the whole point of SF0009, Parental Rights in Education,” said Ward.
Due to the nature of the policy and the climate surrounding parental rights, administrators at Natrona County High School are working to enforce the policy while keeping all stakeholders in mind.
“I think the intent of the policy is in the best interest of kids and parents,” said Principal Aaron Wilson. “I think there are cases that we’ll come up with that we’ll have to work through whatever process we have so that it is in the best interest of kids, whether that’s out of fear, out of uncomfortableness, out of just sheer not wanting to share. But as an educator’s responsibility, we’ll have to work through some of those when they get into that area, that gray area.”
