Schools to Allow Teachers to Use Student-Preferred Pronouns with Parental Consent

School administrators in Florida’s Orange County are moving forward with their interpretation of a state law that bans teachers from using student-preferred pronouns. The Orange County School (OCS) board will soon allow teachers to use student-preferred pronouns if they receive permission and consent from the student’s parents, even if those pronouns do not correspond with the student’s sex at birth. Florida is one of 10 states that have passed laws restricting the use of student-preferred pronouns in schools. They are Utah, Alabama, Indiana, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Dakota, and Montana. In 2023, Florida passed HB 1069, expanding the earlier Parent’s Bill of Rights. It prohibits schools from forcing employees or students to refer to one another by first names or pronouns that do not match a person’s “biological sex at birth.”...