Bucks County school district faces backlash over student name policy

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. - Controversy in a Bucks County school district and it all comes down to the first name that teachers can call students in class. The district says it's about making sure parents are involved, but opponents are calling it discrimination.

"This was an extraordinarily different set of instructions than we’ve ever been given," teacher Rebecca Cartee-Haring said.

Central Bucks West English teacher Rebecca Carter-Haring says she’s been with the district for 16 years. She says at a meeting on September 8th, the high school principal told teachers they’re not allowed to use a student’s preferred name, if it’s different than what’s in the school’s records, without parental permission.

"There was a huge pause. I think most of our colleagues were like, ‘What is going on?’" Cartee-Haring remarked.

She says the principal then told them to make a list of names of students who asked to be called by a preferred name and send it down to the guidance counselor to coordinate a meeting with their parents.

Cartee-Haring says that feels discriminatory against an already marginalized population of trans and gender diverse students.

"Particularly at Central Bucks, it feels like they’re under assault," Cartee-Haring went on.

The school district says this is not a new policy. They issued a statement explaining that it is a sensitive issue and each situation is different. Additionally, parents have a right to be included, saying:

"Parents are stakeholders in these matters, too, so we do talk with students about the importance of including parents in decisions like these. We help prepare students for the conversations and also help facilitate them to reach an agreed-upon solution."

Ry Ogden recently graduated from a different Bucks County school district and calls the directive scary. "I think it’s terrifying for me and every single LGBT person in the area that has been through high school and knows how hard it is if school is your only safe space."

Cartee-Haring says teachers hear that. "We’ve worked so hard to make these kids feel safe in our schools. We know they’re a target of bullying."