This procedure advises staff on District requirements for maintaining gender-inclusive schools and upholding the legal rights of transgender and gender-expansive students. Washington State law and District policy require that District programs, activities, and employment practices be conducted without discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity. Furthermore, District decisions about student assignment and participation in Seattle Public Schools that are gender-specific should be based on a student’s gender identity rather than assigned sex at birth.

I. Primary Contact

The Health Education Program Manager position is designated as the District’s primary contact for questions regarding the application of this procedure and the accompanying policy, as required under RCW 28A.642.080(1)(c)(i). As the primary contact, the Health Education Program Manager must participate in at least one mandatory training opportunity offered by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Training opportunities for additional staff are addressed in the Professional Development section below.

A transgender or gender-expansive student, their parent/guardian, and/or school principal may request a variation in how this procedure is applied from the Health Education Program Manager in order to best address a specific student’s needs. Upon request for a procedure variation, the Health Education Program Manager will consult with District legal counsel and determine whether to grant the variation.

Copies of informal and formal complaints relating to the rights of transgender students under this procedure should be provided to the Health Education Program Manager.

II. Definitions

These definitions serve as functional descriptors and should not be applied to label students.

• “Assigned sex at birth” refers to the sex a person was given at birth, usually based on anatomy or chromosomes (e.g., male, female, intersex, or X).
• “Cisgender” is a term used to describe people whose assigned sex at birth matches their gender identity (e.g., a person who was assigned female at birth and whose gender identity is also female).
• “Gender-expansive” refers to a wider, more flexible range of gender identities than those typically associated with the binary (male or female) gender system. People who are gender-expansive may use a variety of terms including, but not limited to, nonbinary to describe their gender identity. In District records, the gender “X” designation is inclusive of all gender-expansive identities.
• “Gender expression” refers to the external ways a person expresses their gender, often through behavior, gestures, emotional expression, movement, dress, and grooming.
• “Gender identity” refers to a person’s internal and deeply felt sense of being female, male, both female and male, nonbinary, gender-expansive, or other. Persons may identify as nonbinary, gender-expansive, or other—regardless of their assigned sex at birth.
• “Nonbinary” is a term people who are gender-expansive may use to describe their gender identity. Some people who identify as nonbinary also identify as transgender.
• “Transgender” is a term used to describe a person whose gender identity is different from the person’s assigned sex at birth.
• “Transitioning” is the process in which a person goes from living and identifying as one gender to living and identifying as another.

III. Summary

The following is a summary of key student rights, protections, and supports for students at all grade levels and that are addressed by this procedure. Staff should consult the sections that follow for further detail and contact the Manager of Health Education when additional guidance is required.

IV. Meeting to Understand Individual Student Needs

The principal or building administrator—or an appropriate, designated school employee—is encouraged to request a meeting with a transgender or gender-expansive student upon the student’s enrollment in the District or in response to a currently enrolled student’s change of gender expression or identity. Before contacting a student’s parents, the school will consult with the student about the student’s preferences regarding family involvement and consider whether safety concerns are present for the student.

The goals of the meeting are to:

• develop understanding of that student’s individual needs with respect to their gender expression or identity, including any accommodations that the student is requesting or that the District will provide according to Policy No. 3211 and this procedure and under state and federal law; and
• develop a shared understanding of the student’s day-to-day routine within the school so as to foster a relationship and help alleviate any apprehensions the student may have with regard to their attendance at school.

The school may not require the student to attend a meeting as a condition of providing them with the protection to which they are entitled under Board Policy No. 3211, this procedure, and state and federal law regarding gender expression or identity.

V. Respecting Student Privacy

State and federal law require the District to maintain a gender-inclusive environment and to protect student privacy. While this procedure focuses on rights of students who are transgender and gender-expansive, guidance on protecting student privacy applies to additional students who identify as LGBTQ+. If a student turns to a trusted adult at school, they should be able to receive support and not fear being outed for their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Information about a student’s gender identity, legal name, and assigned sex at birth may constitute confidential medical or educational information. Disclosing this information to others may violate privacy laws, including the federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. s 1232g; 34 C.F.R. Part 99).

Board Policy No. 3231 and Superintendent Procedure 3231SP, Student Records, should be consulted in conjunction with this procedure. Staff should not disclose a student’s transgender or gender-expansive identity to others unless: (1) the student provides permission for disclosure, or (2) legally required to do so (e.g., the student’s identity is contained in an education record associated with the student requested by their parent/guardian).

The federal law FERPA provides parents/guardians with rights to access their student’s education records. However, FERPA does not require disclosure of information, including student gender information, outside of response to specific parent/guardian requests to review and inspect their student’s education records. FERPA does not require staff to proactively inform a parent/guardian when they learn of a change in a student’s name, pronouns, or gender identity nor does FERPA provide for sharing information obtained solely through personal knowledge or observation not contained in the education record.

Not all records that include student information constitute an education record under Superintendent Procedure 3231SP and FERPA. Refer to 3231SP for these exceptions which can include, but are not limited to, certain records kept in the sole possession of the maker used as a personal memory aid. A record falling under this exception could include notes a staff member makes for their own memory, for instance to follow up with a student about available supports, to inform other staff about the name and pronouns the student uses, or a self-created roster with the name each student uses provided these documents meet the other requirements of sole possession records under 3231SP.

VI. Communication and Use of Names and Pronouns

Students have the right to be addressed by the name and pronouns that correspond with the gender identity they consistently assert at school. Neither District staff nor a parent/guardian may override a student’s request to be addressed by the student’s chosen name and pronouns.

The District acknowledges that initially, inadvertent slips or honest mistakes in the use of names or pronouns might occur but will not condone an intentional and persistent refusal to correctly acknowledge a student’s gender identity by District staff.

A student is not required to change their official records or obtain a court-ordered name and/or gender change as a prerequisite to being addressed by the name and pronouns that correspond to their gender identity.

District staff will use best efforts to address students by the name and pronouns they request be used even when District records have not been updated. However, if a student has not changed their name and/or gender in District records, then the student’s updated information will not appear in student systems, online learning platforms, class lists, and the like.

It is helpful to know how a student’s parent/guardian refers to them at home and to ask the student how they wish to be referred to when staff speak with their parent/guardian about the student. A student may not feel safe or ready to come out to their family. When contacting the parents/guardians of a transgender or gender-expansive student and it is unclear whether the student asserts the same gender identity at home, it is best practice to avoid using gender pronouns. For example, one could say, “I am concerned about P.J.’s attendance,” rather than, “I am concerned about his attendance.”

VII. Updating Student Information in District Records

A. Updating Gender in Student Record

Seattle Public Schools students have the right to have the gender on their education record reflect their gender identity consistently asserted at school. Whereas there are legal requirements to establish a student’s legal name, as described below, these do not apply to gender. The District will change a student’s gender on their education record upon request from the student, or their parent/guardian, to school office staff such as the school registrar or school secretary. A parent/guardian may not override their student’s request to change their gender designation.

B. Adding Chosen Name to Student Record

Students, or their parent/guardian acting on the student’s behalf, may request that the name the student uses be added to their student record. This will ensure that the chosen name appears in student systems.

Upon such request by a student or their parent/guardian, school office staff, such as the school registrar or school secretary, will enter the name that the student uses into the PowerSchool “name” field. If the addition of the name the student uses requires a new username to be created, school office staff will create a Service Now ticket to request a username change.

The school must use the name and gender requested by the student on all other records, including, but not limited to, school identification cards, classroom seating charts, athletic rosters, yearbook entries, diplomas, and directory information.

C. Updating Legal Name in Official Records

The District is required to maintain a permanent student education record which includes the legal name of the student.

The District will change a student’s legal name on their education record when a parent/guardian or eligible student (over age 18) provides documentation of a legal name change, such as documentation of a court-ordered name change or an affidavit of name change made pursuant to common law, to school office staff such as the school registrar or school secretary. Templates for an affidavit of name change are available on the District Website and from Enrollment Services. While the District accepts an affidavit of name change to change a student’s legal name on their education record, other government agencies and educational institutions may not. The District encourages parents/guardians to fully evaluate this option and understand its potential ramifications before selecting it.

Upon the receipt of required documentation, school office staff must ensure student systems are updated to reflect changes in name and/or gender, e.g., PowerSchool and The Source.

The standardized high school transcript is the only official record that requires a student’s legal name. School staff should adopt practices to avoid the inadvertent disclosure of the student’s transgender or gender-expansive status. To the extent that the District is not legally required to use a student’s legal name on school records or documents, the District will use the name that a transgender or gender-expansive student uses.

VIII. Gender-Inclusive Instruction

A. Instructional Materials

Representative instructional materials and learning environments are central to gender-inclusive schools. State law (WAC 392-190-055) prohibits discrimination, including on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, and other protected class status, through the use of any textbooks or instructional materials, including reference materials and audio-visual materials. To that end, Seattle Schools has adopted Board Policy No. 2015 and Superintendent Procedure 2015SP.B, Selection and Adoption of Instructional Materials, to ensure instructional materials meet criteria designed to identify bias. The policy and procedure require not just that the District identify and eliminate materials with negative stereotypes, but that adopted instructional materials offer perspectives from and reflect experiences of people across gender identities and sexual orientations.

B. Learning Environments

Representative instructional materials should also be delivered in inclusive educational environments. For that reason, state law does not provide a mechanism for opting students out of education just because it includes information about or perspectives from people who are transgender or gender-expansive. Board Policy No. 2125 and Superintendent 2125SP, Sexual Health Education, outline the process for requesting a student be excused from planned instruction in comprehensive sexual health education as required by RCW 28A.300.475.

C. Gender-Inclusive Practices

Staff should use identifiers other than gender when creating student groups or addressing students. Listed below are alternative practices:

• Calling for Students’ Attention: Instead of using gendered phrases to get students’ attention such as “girls and boys” and “ladies and gentlemen,” use phrases such as “calling all readers” or “athletes/scholars/learners, let’s come back together now.”
• Class Discussions: Divide students by birth month or birth order instead of gender.
• Graduations: Graduation gown color selection is offered based on student color preference and not gender.
• Gender neutral terminology: When addressing or referring to people for whom pronouns are unclear, it is widely accepted to use the pronouns they/them/their. These pronouns can be used for multiple people or an individual.

D. Overnight Field Trips

When students are separated by gender for overnight sleeping accommodations, they will be assigned in accordance with the gender identity they consistently assert at school (M, F, or X). Provided, however, that staff may not assign students to shared sleeping accommodations when they are aware of a romantic interest or relationship between the students assigned.

If overnight accommodations are not provided specifically for gender-expansive students, the student will determine the gendered overnight sleeping accommodations that best align with their gender identity. Transgender or gender-expansive students will not be required to stay in single-occupancy accommodations. However, this does not prevent a school from honoring a student’s request for single-occupancy accommodations.

Personal information of a transgender or gender-expansive student will not be disclosed to others involved with the field trip such as students and their families, staff, or chaperones.

IX. Physical Education and Athletics

Physical education teachers must measure student progress in ways that are independent of gender- or sex-based standards.

Transgender students have the right to participate in physical education courses and sports consistent with the gender identity they consistently assert at school. Gender-expansive students have the right to participate in physical education courses and sports that the student determines to best align with their gender identity.

X. Gender-Inclusive Facilities

A. Restroom Accessibility

All students have the right to use the restroom the student determines to best align with their gender identity.

It is a District goal to establish gender-neutral multi-stall restrooms in all District schools, and District capital planning processes ensure that at least one accessible, multi-stall gender-neutral restroom is included in new facilities construction. Gender-neutral multi-stall restrooms provide students with an alternative to gendered restrooms and bolster the safe and welcoming environment the District endeavors to provide in all schools. Gender-neutral restrooms are for all students but are often an important supporting element for transgender and gender-expansive students because they ensure students can access a restroom without being singled out from cisgender peers.

All students, regardless of the underlying reason, who need or desire increased privacy, should also have access to a gender-neutral, accessible restroom.

If school administrators have legitimate concerns about the safety or privacy of students, as related to a transgender or gender-expansive student’s use of the restroom or locker room, school administrators should bring these concerns to the Health Education Program Manager. Such privacy or safety issues should be immediate and reasonably foreseeable, not speculative.

B. Locker Room Accessibility

All students have the right to use the locker room that corresponds with the gender identity they consistently assert at school. Gender-expansive students will be provided access to the locker room that the student determines to best align with their gender identity. However, if any student needs or prefers increased privacy and safety, regardless of the underlying reason, the student should be provided access to a reasonable alternative locker room. Reasonable alternative locker rooms include, but are not limited to:

• Use of a private area (e.g., a nearby restroom stall with a door, an area separated by a curtain, an office in the locker room, or a nearby health office restroom).
• A separate changing schedule (either utilizing the locker room before or after other students).

For transgender and gender-expansive students, any alternative arrangement should be provided in a way that protects the student’s ability to keep their transgender or gender-expansive status private.

No student should be required to use a locker room that conflicts with their gender identity.

XI. Student Dress

Providing students an environment where they can express their identity through their attire is a value of the District and important in order to provide identity-safe spaces for students. Board Policy No. 3224, Student Dress, provides that all District students have the right to be treated equitably, and dress code enforcement will not be more strictly enforced against students because of their gender identity, gender expression, or gender nonconformity.

XII. Discrimination and Harassment Complaints

Discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation are prohibited as further described in Board Policy Nos. 3207, Prohibition of Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying of Students; 3208, Sexual Harassment of Students Prohibited; and 3210, Nondiscrimination, Acts of Hostility, and Defamation. It is the responsibility of each school, the District, and all staff to ensure that all students, including transgender and gender-expansive students, have a safe school environment. The scope of this responsibility includes ensuring that discrimination and harassment are addressed under the relevant Board policies and procedures and that instances involving transgender or gender-expansive students are additionally reported to the Health Education Program Manager.

XIII. Professional Development

The primary contact must participate in at least one mandatory training opportunity offered by OSPI. When possible, the District will also conduct staff training and ongoing professional development in an effort to build the skills of all staff members to prevent, identify, and respond to harassment and discrimination. The content of such professional development should include, but not be limited to:

• Terms and concepts related to gender identity, gender expression, and gender diversity in children and adolescents;
• Appropriate strategies for communicating with students and parents about issues related to gender identity and gender expression, while protecting student privacy;
• Strategies for preventing and intervening in incidents of harassment and discrimination, including bullying and cyber-bullying; and
• District and staff responsibilities under applicable laws and District policies regarding harassment, discrimination, gender identity, gender expression issues.

XIV. Additional Resources

Seattle Public Schools maintains additional resources to supplement this procedure on the Health Education webpage of the District website.

Policy Cross References:

• 0010 – Instructional Philosophy
• 0025 – Guardrails for the District
• 2015 – Selection and Adoption of Instructional Materials
• 2125 – Sexual Health Education
• 2145 – Suicide Prevention
• 2151 – Interscholastic Activities
• 2185 – Physical Education
• 2320 – Field Trips and Excursions
• 3207 – Prohibition of Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying of Students
• 3208 – Sexual Harassment of Students Prohibited
• 3210 – Nondiscrimination, Acts of Hostility and Defamation
• 3211 – Gender-Inclusive Schools: Transgender and Gender-Expansive Student Rights and Supports
• 3224 – Student Dress
• 3231 – Student Records
• 6900 – Facilities Planning

Revisions:

• August 29, 2025
• October 27, 2023
• August 17, 2021
• April 14, 2020
• March 5, 2020 (as 3210SP.C)
• June 16, 2017 (as 3210SP.C)
• December 4, 2016 (as 3210SP.C)
• August 17, 2016 (as 3210SP.C)
• February 2015 (as 3210SP.C)

Adopted:

• December 7, 2012 (as 3210SP.C)