Report > Parents’ Rights, Title IX and Equal Protection
Pills and Pronouns: School Districts Require Parental Consent for Over-the-Counter Medicine But Not New Names and Pronouns
By Angela Morabito | February 22, 2023
Key findings
- At least 3 million students attend school in districts that allow them to change their name and pronouns, but not take over-the-counter medication, without parental consent.
- Eight of the nation’s 20 largest school districts allow students to choose their own names and pronouns at school, without parental knowledge or consent.
- These controversial policies violate the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children.
Introduction
In some of the nation’s largest public school districts, it is easier for a student to choose a new name and pronouns than it is to get an aspirin from the school nurse. At least three million K–12 students in 25 districts are given free rein to choose their gender identity at school by changing the name and pronouns used by school employees without parental consent, even though their schools require parental permission to dispense over-the-counter medication to those same children.
