Dozens of school districts in and around Philadelphia are still telling teachers and staff to keep a student's gender identity under wraps from parents, even after the U.S. Supreme Court moved this month to rein in broad "gender secrecy" policies. That gap between local rules and the high court's move has already drawn federal attention and stirred fresh complaints from residents in Chester and Delaware counties.
A recent review found at least 21 local districts and one intermediate unit with policies that closely track California's model, according to Broad + Liberty. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated a lower court injunction that blocks parts of California's Support Academic Futures and Equality for Today's Youth (SAFETY) Act, saying those kinds of rules "likely violate parents' rights" to direct their children's upbringing, as reported by AP. California's AB 1955, the SAFETY Act, took effect Jan. 1, 2025, according to guidance from the California Department of Education (CDE).
The Chester County Intermediate Unit's written policy is blunt. It tells staff that "Intermediate Unit personnel should not disclose information that may reveal a student's transgender status or gender nonconforming presentation to others, including the student's parents/guardians," language that appears in the unit's policy manual on BoardDocs. In a statement to Broad + Liberty, Chester County IU communications director Christa Fazio said the IU is watching the legal fights and "if need be, we will revise our policies to comport with state and federal law and judicial precedent." Teachers who have seen the internal guidance told reporters that student-information systems now include fields for both a student's legal name and a preferred name.
Federal civil-rights officials are already in the mix. In January, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights announced it had opened 18 Title IX investigations, including one into Great Valley School District, to determine whether district policies discriminate on the basis of sex, according to the department's press release (U.S. Department of Education). Great Valley's "Transgender and Gender Expansive Students" policy tells staff to use a student's legal name and pronouns assigned at birth when contacting parents unless the student gives other instructions, language that appears on the district's BoardDocs page (Great Valley policy). Local reporting has traced the federal probe to a complaint filed by former Great Valley board director Bruce Chambers (The Philadelphia Inquirer).
What local policies actually say
Across the suburbs and in the city, many "transgender and gender-nonconforming" policies try to walk a tightrope between student safety and parent involvement by spelling out how staff should handle names, pronouns and records. Supporters argue the rules shield vulnerable students who may not be safe at home. Critics counter that the same language can work as a sweeping secrecy mandate that locks parents out of key discussions about their own kids.
Legal and federal stakes
The Supreme Court's intervention has left districts in a kind of legal limbo. The order put a lower court injunction back in place that limits enforcement of statewide secrecy rules while the broader California case plays out. At the same time, the Office for Civil Rights has stressed that opening an investigation "is not itself evidence of a violation" and said officials will review documents and interview staff before deciding whether districts broke the law, according to the January announcement (U.S. Department of Education).
District leaders say they are watching the courts and federal guidance and will update training materials and handbooks as needed. The School District of Philadelphia points to Policy 252 and district resources that support LGBTQ students, while noting that policies are reviewed on an ongoing basis (School District of Philadelphia). Parents and advocates on both sides say the next few weeks will reveal whether districts quietly tweak their wording or double down on current student privacy protections.
