Facing outcry, State College district walks back changes to preferred name use in schools

Yahoo

07-03-2025

Just one week after sharing initial plans that drew outcry, the State College Area School District is walking back parts of its push to require the use of students' legal names in some software programs and district applications.
In an email sent to student families on Feb. 25, SCASD director of technology Justin Hetrick said the district was moving forward with plans to begin using students' legal names over preferred names in some applications, including the PowerSchool student information system. A subsequent email from Superintendent Curtis Johnson three days later said the district would, in response to community feedback, accommodate preferred names 'wherever possible' before changes are implemented over spring break, which begins March 10.
'Even though we have to use legal names in some cases, we understand the importance of recognizing and respecting preferred names,' Johnson wrote in his Feb. 28 message to district families.
As things stand, students can display and use their preferred name in classrooms with faculty and staff, on their diplomas and through district-approved applications, including their email addresses, Google Classroom and the PowerSchool platform. At the district school board's March 3 meeting, Johnson said preferred names and pronouns will remain available for student IDs, too.
Changes to the use of students' legal names over preferred names were first proposed to help the district 'ensure accuracy and compliance with various requirements,' Hetrick wrote to families. The modifications were described not as an adjustment to specific school policy, but as procedural changes that would help State College officials comply with legal standards.
The district did not indicate in its communications that the change is related to President Donald Trump's order to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at schools.
Legal documents, applications and some standardized tests — including transcripts, SAT exams and college applications — often require the use of a student's legal name. Messages from the district said legal name use would help implement special education plans and allow school nurses to accurately administer care and medication.
A bulleted list shared in the Feb. 28 message from Johnson said the use of legal names is required on official transcripts, working papers, 504 plans and individualized educational programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities and state testing and state reporting requirements in Pennsylvania. Student IDs were also listed among this group, but they have since been adapted to continue allowing preferred names, the superintendent said at March 3's board meeting.
At the board meeting, Johnson said students who use a preferred name over their legal name can still obtain a student ID featuring their legal name by contacting the district's computer services team. Preferred names will remain the default option, though legal names are used for students who have not entered a preferred name into district systems.
The board meeting featured lengthy periods of public comment in which six students and community members spoke against district efforts to prioritize legal names over preferred names. Many who spoke viewed the walked-back pivot to legal names as a step that would alienate or discriminate against transgender, non-binary and other gender-diverse students who may identify outside of their legal names and pronouns.
Cat Cook, a district parent and the executive director of the Centre LGBT+ nonprofit, said recognizing preferred names and pronouns significantly improves inclusiveness in schools and communities.
'When students are called by their chosen name, they feel recognized, affirmed and empowered, and when their name appears on their ID — something they carry with them daily — it is a visible acknowledgment of their humanity and dignity,' Cook told the board.
'However, for students whose chosen names are not recognized, the impact can be profound,' she continued. 'It sends a message, albeit unintentionally, that who they are is not worthy of validation or respect. It can cause feelings of alienation, stress and insecurity — emotions that no student should have to bear in an environment that is supposed to support their growth.'
Elana Szczesny, a licensed psychologist and parent of two students, said State College officials failed to adequately share policy details and updates on its implementation with students and families. The short-notice change caught community shareholders off-guard, she said.
'Some students had to hear that news, fear for their privacy and potential safety in school, and then be expected to go about the rest of their day,' Szczesny said. 'I know families whose children felt scared to go to school on Friday morning, unsure if they would be greeted with a deadname when they opened up their computers and be outed to their classmates... Communication regarding this initial policy and ongoing attempts to adapt it were insufficient and untimely, leading to more worry.'
Johnson said the district will share additional updates with district families through another communication before changes enter effect over spring break. As of March 6, district officials have not yet shared further information regarding the procedural changes.