In the Board of Education, Amanda Long, a parent of two children in FCPS, correctly pointed out that a substantial number of books on gender identity already exist within the FCPS elementary schools today, and that teachers and staff are permitted to use these materials to conduct discussions related to gender identity and are in fact having those discussions.

The discussion was specific to emergency contacts but reveals something parents need to be aware of. The committee discussion was initiated after notification was received by the BOE that FCPS phoned an authorized emergency contact and used the student’s preferred pronoun during the conversation, which apparently differed from the biologically connected pronoun the student used outside the school.