COLUMBUS, Ohio – Students at Columbus City Schools who had preferred names in the district’s system had their names changed back to match their birth records.
This primarily impacted transgender and nonbinary students, who were unaware that this was happening.
On March 19, when attendance was called, students and teachers were surprised to learn that preferred names had been changed in the district’s system, known as Infinite Campus.
“He found out about the rescinded name change policy at school,” said a transgender parent. “His fourth-period teacher advised him to visit the office because his preferred name did not appear in Infinite Campus.
My son began to walk to the office and, in a panic, ran to the restroom to call me at work.
Izetta Thomas, the Columbus Education Justice Coalition’s lead organizer, stated that she has been speaking with parents and students since the change occurred.
“To have that happen on such a grand scale and to not even see it coming, I don’t think that there are any words to describe the feelings that folks had when that happened,” according to her.
Thomas continued: “Those names that were in the system were actually there with parent consent and permission because there was a form that parents had to fill out for that change to even be in the system at all.”
She also stated that she is uncomfortable sending her son back to class.
“My son has not physically been back to school since March 19,” the parent stated. “For his safety, we removed him from his previous school. His educational opportunities have been taken away.”
On Friday, Columbus Schools Superintendent Dr. Angela Chapman sent a letter to students, parents, and staff acknowledging that no warning had been issued.
In a letter to the editor, Chapman stated: “We did not provide prior notice this was occurring, nor did we ensure support was in place to prioritize the emotional well-being of everyone impacted.”
Chapman also apologized for the way the district handled the situation.
The letter cited recent Ohio laws such as the bathroom bill and the Parents’ Bill of Rights as reasons for the name changes, but Thomas stated that none of these laws require school districts to revert trans students’ names.
“A lot of the information that we’ve been getting from folks at the district is that it was anticipatory,” Thomas informed us. “An apology is not sufficient. An apology is not the same as accountability, which is what we seek.
The parent stated that Chapman personally called them to apologize, but that she offered little in the way of a solution.
Thomas stated that a number of members of the Columbus Education Justice Coalition planned to attend the next Columbus Board of Education meeting to show their support for impacted students and families.
