A new system has been put in place at SHS this year that requires students who go by a different name or pronoun to fill out a form. This form is double-verified in order to be called that name or pronoun. This is due to House Bill 1608 and the effect it’s had on the community.
The law “requires a school to notify in writing at least one parent of a student, if the student is an unemancipated minor, of a request made by the student to change the student’s name or pronoun, title, or word to identify the student.”
Some students, including freshman Will Van Camp who has filled out the form, feel opposed to this new law. He feels it is unfair and infringes on student rights.
“I think that it takes away not only mine but other students’ right to privacy about their own identity,” Van Camp said.
The law mainly affects transgender students, as there is no regulation against nicknames or abbreviations on names but specifically on people who change their names to be more androgynous, masculine or feminine.

There is a misconception that it’s the school’s decision to have students and guardians sign the form. However, according to Principal Amy Boone, this is a legal obligation that the school is facing.
“What the new pronoun law says is if a student requests to go by a name, a different name or pronoun than what they were given at birth, that the school is required within five days in writing to communicate that request to the parents,” Boone said. “So that’s what we’re legally required to do.”
The school is required by law to have in writing that the parent agrees to the change requested by the student. However, some question if it’s necessary for the school to call the parent and ask if they selected each individual box.

“It was a bit over the top to continue explaining what I’d already read and signed … ,”Ashley James, Van Camp’s mom said. “It definitely left a bad taste in my mouth as far as what sort of treatment Will will now receive with this.”

This “bad taste” is becoming a rising issue as students without supporting parents aren’t able to be referred to by their preferred name or pronoun without the permission slip signed by their parents.

According to Boone, teachers are required to call students by the name that’s in Skyward, meaning it is allowed for teachers to deny students’ requests to refer to them by their preferred name.

“If you overcomplicate an issue, it just brings more attention to it,” Van Camp said. “It’s going to make more people upset.”