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Outrage after it's revealed elementary school tried to transition child against parents' wishes

A school official inquired how to address a student despite their parents directing school staff not to use the child's preferred gender pronouns

FORT COLLINS, COLORADO: A shocking trove of leaked emails between school officials exposed secret plans to defy parents' wishes on transitioning their ward's gender. A thread of emails shared by Nicole Solas, a senior fellow with Independent Women's Forum, revealed how an assistant principal in the Poudre School District (PSD) was inquiring how to properly address a student despite their parents directing school staff not to use the child's preferred gender pronouns.

Poudre School District Chief Equity Officer Marlena Gross-Taylor and Laurel Elementary School Assistant Principal Amanda Pawelski were seen in the leaked emails discussing if they could defy a parent's wishes and instruct an elementary school student by their preferred pronouns. According to the emails, Amanda reached out to Marlena on March 31, 2022, about an unidentified student who "expressed their pronouns and chosen name but their parents directly [told] school staff not to call the students by those pronouns."

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'We want to support the student'

"I feel very strongly about supporting the student, but have heard that we legally have to follow the parent's decision due to the age of the child (elementary school)," Amanda wrote in the email to Marlena. She also insisted that she learned during "ABCs training" that "we should follow the student, not the parents" and urged Marlena to offer a more "definite answer," adding, "We want to support the student. We also want to be covered legally." Marlena responded six days later, saying "schools should use the student's affirming name and pronouns and use their legal name and corresponding pronouns when talking with the family until they are supportive of the student's new name and pronouns."

Parent's strong disapproval

The district's chief equity officer also referred the assistant principal to their new LGBTQIA+ Coordinator, Shayna Seitchik, who reiterated that she and Darcie Votipka, the Director of Student Services for the district, has discussed the issue and agreed that the student's preferred pronouns and names could be used in the absence of the ward's parents. Amanda then expressed concern that the parents' strong disapproval of using the "affirming" names and pronouns might be an issue due to the student's age. "I am wondering about the direct 'do not' nature of what they said and in light of them being in elementary school. I want to make sure we are still covered if we use the student's chosen name, even in this case?" she wrote, adding that the student had allegedly "asked a few of us to be present when they came out to their mom."

The mother reportedly had no qualms with the revelation but had clearly instructed the school afterward "not to continue" using their ward's new name and pronouns. The emails sent after April 5 were not leaked and so it is unclear if Marlena ever responded. It's worth noting that Marlena joined the school district in January 2022 and oversees several departments including Curriculum and Instruction, Professional Learning, Student Services, Language, Culture and Equity, Career and Innovation, and Integrated Services. Meanwhile, Amanda was crowned the Colorado Assistant Elementary School Principal of the Year in 2023, marking the second year a Poudre assistant teacher won the accolade.

Amanda has reportedly served as an assistant principal since 2019 and has been with the school district since 2013, the Daily Mail reported.