Columbus City Schools reverts to birth names for transgender students
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Parents are speaking out after Columbus City Schools reverted students' names to those reflected on birth certificates, saying the move came without notice and harmed transgender and gender variant students.
Columbus City Schools spokesperson Tyler Carter said the district made the change to ensure compliance with Senate Bill 104, which took effect Feb. 25 and requires Ohio public school students to use the restroom that aligns with their assigned sex at birth. However, the bill does not require districts to use birth names in school records, and the district did not respond to NBC4's request for clarification.
Dara Adkinson, executive director of TransOhio, said there was no legal obligation for CCS to make this change. Adkinson said TransOhio has heard from a number of concerned parents and faculty after the district changed its student records overnight. They said many students were outed to their classmates without warning, including students with legal name changes and sealed court records.
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'The schools have smart boards, and there were students that were outed during attendance to their classes and their teachers, none of whom knew that they were trans,' Adkinson said.
Columbus City Schools rescinded its transgender and gender variant student policy in February, removing the district's policy protecting names and pronouns. The policy said it was required to maintain an official record of students' legal sex and name assigned at birth but would otherwise use a student's chosen name in school records and documents. See previous coverage of this decision in the video player above.
'To ensure legal compliance regarding official student records, Student Information System records had to be updated to match the information on student birth certificates or court orders,' Carter said.
When the policy was repealed, local LGBTQ+ youth support organization Kaleidoscope Youth Center thanked the district for rescinding it, saying changes would have legitimized discrimination. Now the district is no longer required to respect students' gender identity in student records, but it said during it would continue to ensure all students felt safe and included at school.
Adkinson said parents have mentioned pursuing litigation, and lawyers have reached out to TransOhio to express their concerns.
'I cannot imagine being a middle school student and being outed in such a violent manner to my classmates, taking all agency away from those kids,' Adkinson said.
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Adkinson said parents reported having no notice of the change until it was reflected in parent and student portals. Families also shared this frustration on social media.
Carter said every parent or guardian who had requested a name or gender change for their student received a notice, and students older than 18 received notice personally. However, a parent shared a copy of the letter with NBC4, pointing out that it was postmarked March 20, at least 24 hours after the change.
Adkinson said the district does not have to stick with this decision, adding many parents have reached out to the school board asking for it to be undone. In an email to a parent shared with NBC4, board member Sarah Ingles responded to concerns indicating she and other board members had not been aware of the decision. In the email, Ingles said she asked for a full report from district administration, including possible remedies.
'You don't have to stay with a bad decision just because you made one,' Adkinson said. 'I hope that they roll it back, but I don't know that there's any way they can truly make it up to those students.'
Adkinson said there are ways to help, like teachers calling attendance by last name alone or families contacting the district. However, they encouraged people not to bring it up around students who were affected by the decision, saying they may not want to discuss it.
'In this moment in time, just because a lot of discrimination is being championed, doesn't mean that our institutions need to rush to discriminate in new and creative ways that are presently still illegal,' Adkinson said.
Carter said the district will continue to work with students and families to provide support. Parents said they have been able to call the school to update students' information but only as a 'nickname.'
The next regular Board of Education meeting will take place April 1 at 6 p.m.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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