Pennsylvania school won’t hide gender ‘transitions’ from parents after secret database was exposed

October 1, 2026

A school district in Pennsylvania has agreed to rescind a policy that forced teachers and staff to keep parents in the dark about whether their child is being referred to by opposite-sex pronouns and names at school.

The Christian Post reports that the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) announced earlier this week that the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) has agreed to drop the policy on LGBT students.

The action follows a letter from ADF and the Independence Law Center (ILC) sent to CCIU officials on behalf of a client connected to Brandywine Virtual Academy.

In May, ADF and ILC sent a letter to CCIU Executive Director George F. Fiore about Policy 103.2, which requires school staff to “not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status or gender nonconforming presentation to others, including the student’s parents/guardians and/or other Intermediate Unit personnel, unless legally required to do so or unless the student has authorized such disclosure.”

The policy required staff to use a student’s preferred name and pronouns, and any staff member who disobeyed the policy faced disciplinary action.

ADF reports that the district also maintained a school database noting whether a parent knew about their child’s transition at school.

According to the Christian Post, the legal groups argued that Policy 103.2 “violates the free speech rights and religious freedom of any staff member who objects on religious or other grounds to being compelled to use a name or pronoun that does not correspond with a child’s sex.”

ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer explained that there is “growing psychiatric evidence that affirming a child’s gender dysphoria at school by using incorrect pronouns and names sets a vulnerable child down a path with lifelong consequences.”

Langhofer added, “Schools must cease participating in this dangerous experimentation on kids and respect the right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and healthcare of their children.”

A 2023 report from the advocacy group Parents Defending Education stated that more than 1,000 school districts across the country serving over 10 million students had adopted policies permitting or advising personnel to withhold information from parents about their child’s desire to identify as trans or nonbinary.

Photo: top, Credit: Reuters/Tami Chappell