WPSD adopts gender identity name change policy

This spring the State of Colorado passed bill HB24-1039, requiring schools to use their chosen name where it’s different than their legal name but reflects their gender identity. The Woodland Park School District has published policy JT to address this. I question whether this would hold up to legal scrutiny, and suspect the district is actually seeking a legal challenge as they’ve already expressed their opposition to HB24-1039 in a resolution passed earlier this year. The bill text seems to imply the schools need to comply with the students’ chosen names…but the district policy JT-R outlines a procedure requiring parental approval (via form JT-E). Any request must be approved by the school principal, and the final decision lies with the Chief Academic Officer. So it’s not the student’s choice, it is ultimately the parent’s choice.