Muskego-Norway School Board votes to require parental approval of students' pronouns

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MUSKEGO, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Muskego-Norway School District is the latest district talking student pronouns. 

The board voted Monday to require parental permission. It was a packed house.

Transgender students see this as an attack on their community. They say they're already dealing with constant threats and harassment, and now, this.

"We've been spit on, we've been baked at, slurs, we were followed around in public one time," said Angel Schutte, Muskego High School freshman.

Trans students say the board's decision to require parents to approve of their pronouns is a bad decision.

"I just think it's really sad because it was almost like we were progressing so far and then it just feels like a dramatic step back from where we were before," said Aslan Baros, Muskego High School freshman. 

Aslan Baros' father feels it's a safety concern.

"I understand that parents want to be notified, and I'm a parent, to what's happening in their school with their student, but I just didn't hear any empathy for the kids and their safety," said Scott Baros. 

Students stood strong, holding up signs as the board voted, but in the end, board members supported the policy, saying that going against it would have been a slippery slope. They didn't want to establish a rule where parents could be excluded from some information. 

"I think we don't want to put the school district in a position that they can potentially go against the parents' wishes for their children. That could just get messy and again, it takes the right of the parent away to make that decision with their child," said Kyle Stuart, parent.

One board member said students frequently change their minds and suggested students who want to change their pronouns have a meeting with their guidance counselor. Parents would be included.

In the end, a round of applause from parents in the audience who say they are happy to see the board support what they call transparency.

Muskego-Norway joins a list of other districts in our area who've done the same, including Arrowhead and Waukesha.

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