Academy School District 20 is clarifying a recent decision that barred its teachers and staff from blanket asking students their preferred names and pronouns.

The directive is not official policy and applies only in the classroom, large group settings or written assignments, according to a district spokesperson. Teachers may still have those conversations in a one-on-one setting.

Middle and high school principals first received the communication via email on Aug. 17. Employees may “not ask students to identify (preferred names or pronouns) as part of a blanket information collection, either verbally or in a written activity,” according to the email from Assistant Superintendent for Planning and Engagement Jim Smith.

The communication went public following an open records request by D-20 parent Lara Matisek after she says teachers expressed concern to her about a recent email. Teachers allegedly told Matisek that specifics of the communication were unclear and they were not sure what they could and could not do, or what possible consequences might be for violating those orders.

District leaders described the directive as “a way forward that balances the rights of all students” after outreach determined that asking this information in the classroom “has not been a positive experience for students and their families.”

“If you say it out loud, it’s so ridiculous, and I just say to those parents, send your kids to private school or homeschool them if you don’t trust these teachers because you’re just hurting others in the process,” Matisek said. “No teacher is out there telling our kids how they should identify or what they should identify as. It’s just so frustrating for every one of our teachers and staff to have to deal with. Now’s another burden placed upon them.”

D-20 neither amended an existing policy nor created a new one to govern pronoun usage, according to district spokesperson Allison Cortez.

The communication states employees will follow student requests to use preferred names and pronouns, but employees are not allowed to initiate those discussions or solicit that information in “blanket” format.

Teachers may still share their own pronouns or demonstrate they are supportive of the LGBTQ+ community in other ways, according to Cortez. Pronoun discussions may still happen in a one-on-one setting so as to not out students or put them in a difficult position in front of their peers.

“Its purpose was to ensure we are creating classroom conditions where all students feel safe to be themselves; spaces where they can disclose personal information in their own way, and on their own terms — not during a group classroom exercise or on a public form,” Cortez wrote in an email response. “Our goal is to meet each student where they are and then support them on their individual journey.”

Because the communication is not official district policy, there is no written guidance on disciplinary actions, Cortez said. 

Teachers feared the ambiguous language and were unsure what they could or could not do based on the initial email, Matisek said. She said D-20 should issue a follow-up statement “to make sure staff know they can be a safe person” to their students “without fear of being hunted down by parents or told they’ll get in trouble.”

“What they’re saying is not communicated in that memo. If that’s what you meant, it’s probably time for a revision,” Matisek said.

Conversations surrounding preferred pronouns have been ongoing in the district for at least two years, according to Cortez. The decision was “a collaborative approach made by district leadership.”

Matisek’s open records request turned up a handful of names who reached out to the district this school year with concerns over teachers asking students their pronouns, including school board candidates Amy Shandy’s and Derrick Wilburn’s campaign registered agent, emails show.

When asked at a candidate forum last week how they plan to manage “the negative narratives surrounding” LGBTQ+ students, Shandy said she would “get back to the basics and focus on academics and student outcomes” because all students will feel a sense of belonging once there is high achievement. Shandy later clarified to The Gazette that she does not believe teachers should ask students for their preferred pronouns, which is a “complex and sensitive conversation” that should happen with parental involvement.

Wilburn said administration is responsible for fostering a sense of belonging from the top down for all students, specifically referencing white Christians.

“The Caucasian children of upper-middle class Caucasian parents who attend Christian or LDS church service on Sunday or Wednesday regularly, they need to be felt like they are being protected and included just like all the other student populations as well,” Wilburn added.

Reporting from the Colorado Springs Independent revealed a string of commentary in an online chat for Advocates for D20 Kids, a conservative advocacy group for parental rights and academic excellence, in which some members made inflammatory comments about the LGBTQ+ community over the past year. Wilburn and Shandy were both active contributors in the chat and are endorsed by Advocates for D20 Kids.

The reporting revealed Wilburn urged Advocates for D20 Kids members to sign a petition requesting the district remove the curricular status of its Gay Straight Trans Alliance clubs and expressing concern of the club’s flyers that discussed gender and sexuality. In a letter accompanying the petition, Wilburn stated, “Many of our children have expressed strong feelings of unease over such materials being displayed, thus their sense of ‘belonging’ is being threatened. As a result, the schools are creating comfort for some students at the expense of others.”

In a written statement to The Gazette, Wilburn said, “Every student is deserving of respect, regardless of their characteristics. Some school districts have been adopting leftist ideology which is disrespectful to the beliefs (of) non-LGBTQ students. D20’s focus should be academic achievement. “

Academy School District 20 in August requested its employees no longer ask students to identify their preferred names or pronouns in a group setting or through blanket information collection.

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