What if a student wants to change the gender on their School Records? Navigating the issues
by Alyssa Kritikos, Senior Legal Content Associate at CompliSpace.
source: School Governance by CompliSpace
Recently there has been a lot of media attention regarding the manner in which some non-government schools manage issues relating to the gender identity of students, prospective students and even past students. The debate around the religious discrimination Bills currently before Federal Parliament has only brightened the spotlight on these issues. Regardless of this media attention, many schools have begun to assess their school policies and practices with a focus on creating an environment where all students, including transgender and gender-expansive students, feel that they belong and are safe and welcome in the school.
In taking these steps, schools may have to navigate complex issues. What should a school do if a student requests a change to the gender that is recorded on their school records? And is a school required to obtain the consent of the student’s parent/guardian in order to change those records? “School records” in this context would include academic, testing and school medical records.
There are no simple answers to these questions, and a school will need to consider a number of factors to ensure that their duty of care to the student remains their priority. This article looks at the factors and how a school can manage requests from students to change their gender (or pronoun) on their school records both with and without a parent/guardian’s consent.
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