School-based health clinics offer 'gender-affirming care' at 'no cost' to students in Seattle
Health facilities located in at least two public schools in Seattle, Washington, are providing "gender-affirming care" to students while school staff are instructed to refrain from informing parents if their children identify as the opposite sex.
In a Tuesday blog post, the advocacy group Parents Defending Education shared screenshots documenting how school-based health centers located at two schools that are part of Seattle Public Schools offer gender transition services to students.
The website for the Nova Wellness Center located at Nova High School outlines how it provides "no cost comprehensive, trauma-informed, and gender-affirming care" to students.
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The website for the Meany Health Center, based at Meany Middle School, lists "gender reaffirming care" as one of the services it offers. The Country Doctor Community Health Centers operate the clinics at both schools.
CDCHC, a local nonprofit, provides services to "transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse" patients. The organization's website identifies its services as "gender-affirming medications," including estrogen, androgen blockers and testosterone and "hormone therapy for adolescents and specialty referrals for younger patients as needed."
The nonprofit also says it can help patients with "obtaining mental health letters of support" for gender-affirming procedures and referrals. However, the centers do not provide puberty blockers for younger patients.
Seattle Public Schools' policy document, "Gender-Inclusive Schools: Transgender and Gender-Expansive Student Rights and Supports," states that district staff "should not disclose a student's transgender or gender X status to others unless (1) legally required to do so or (2) the student has authorized disclosure." District employees are further advised to avoid using gender pronouns when contacting the parents or guardians of trans-identified pupils if the student's asserted gender identity at home is unclear.
It's unclear whether the schools inform parents if their children are seeking "gender-affirming care" at the school-based clinics.
In a statement to The Post Millennial, Seattle Public Schools said: "Community healthcare agencies independently operate School-Based Health Centers in spaces provided by Seattle Public Schools. Seattle Public Schools does not supervise or participate in the provision of health care services in these clinics."
Last year, the media outlet reported an 853% increase in students identifying as non-binary within the Seattle district over a three-year period. The rapid explosion comes as a recent study estimated that at least 3 million K-12 students are enrolled in public school districts where they can change their name and preferred pronouns to reflect their chosen gender identity without parental consent.
The study was released by the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies in February and is based on an analysis of the 20 largest school districts in the U.S.
The report, authored by former U.S. Department of Education Press Secretary Angela Morabito, conceded that "because this study examines only a sample of school districts, the total number of districts nationwide that allow students to change their name and pronouns at school without parental permission is likely far higher."
Morabito cited Seattle Public Schools as a school district that "directs school employees to use a new name and pronouns without parental consent," while Parents Defending Education includes Seattle Public Schools on a list of more than 1,000 public school districts that "openly state that district personnel can or should keep a student's transgender status hidden from parents."
In a statement to The Christian Post, Morabito stressed the impact of these policies on the relationship between parents and their children. According to Morabito, whenever "schools keep a child's assumed identity a secret from the parents, they drive a wedge between parents and their children."
"Parents cannot assume schools will respect their rights. These harmful policies are by no means limited to big-city districts," she continued. "Every parent should inform themselves of policies in their school district and speak up if schools are willing to conceal major information from them about their own kids."
