Kansas School Uses ‘They/Them’ Pronouns for All Students in Yearbook
”They/them pronouns are not default pronouns. They are used by people who identify as nonbinary.”
Even in red states, education is often very blue.
Campus Reform reports:
Kansas school confirms four-year policy of using ‘they/them’ pronouns for all students in yearbook
A Kansas school confirmed it used “they/them” pronouns for all students featured in its high school yearbook for the past four years after a parent publicly objected to the policy during a school board meeting.
The Spring Hill High School Student Publications Staff Manual reads, “They/Them pronouns will be used to denote sources in any media.” The handbook also emphasizes that “We will make it clear via announcements, subscription emails, etc. that students can request a preferred name for publications.”
The policy drew criticism after Libs of TikTok shared a video of a local mother addressing the Spring Hill USD 230 Board of Education over the issue.
The mother said her daughter was featured in the yearbook using “they/them” pronouns despite her daughter specifically requesting the use of her biologically accurate “she/her” pronouns.
”All of the students were identified using they/them pronouns, which struck me as odd,” the mother said.
”They/them pronouns are not default pronouns. They are used by people who identify as nonbinary,” she continued. “To ban or prohibit the use of male or female pronouns is sex-based discrimination.”
Scott Peavey, the district’s Director of Communication & Engagement, told Campus Reform that the policy has been in place for four years.
”The Spring Hill School District is aware of the concerns surrounding editorial decisions made in a recent student-produced yearbook,” Peavey said.
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Comments
These people can hide behind their protestations that this is a matter of school policy, but a brief review of the District’s actual policies (https://go.boarddocs.com/ks/usd230/Board.nsf/Public) reveals that it is not a matter of police. It appears only on page 8 of the Staff Manual referenced in the story. It is not a District policy.
It is disappointing that this lunacy is happening less than twenty miles from my home.
Silly me, I thought “misgendering” a person was a capital offense in the liberal world…how dare they/them?
By the way, just how insane is the whole concept of “misgendering”?
The singular “they” has been part of the English language since the 14th century.
I don’t think the they/them in the article are the they or them referred to in the English language since the 14th Century.
If you are referring to Chaucer, the distinction is that he was a poet. Poets get to play with language.
E.E. Cummings refused to use capital letters or punctuation in his poetry. Who defends the lack of those in modern writing by saying it’s been part of the English language since Cummings did it?
It wasn’t just poets. It was used by everyone; it was part of normal English. The idea that it’s incorrect, and only “he” should be used, is just 19th century prescriptivist BS, just like not splitting infinitives and not ending sentence with prepositions. In practice people ignored it and kept using “they”.
Similarly, in the 14th century, people who made comments such as yours were derided as “wittols” or “termigants.”
But we don’t do that anymore, either.
No. Shakespeare may have used it that way, but modern rules say it’s wrong. Worse, with trans hijacking of the language it now constitutes cultural and ideological imperialism.
These “modern rules” of yours are 19th century prescriptivist bullshit that has never described how the language is actually used. Even in the 19th century the singular they continued to thrive, despite these purported “rules”.
OED
M-W
So? It’s confusing in the modern context. Educators should not be living examples of poor communication.
“I saw a dude tying their shoes so i told them they were doing it wrong” takes too long to parse. Sets people on the wrong trail. Whose shoes? How many people’s shoes? Hinders the flow. Is just plain DUMB.
Sorry.
More pedantic misdirection from the pompous Milhouse.
Isn’t this actually offensive to those who insist on they/them pronouns that now everyone is using them? Doesn’t it kind of remove the whole point of the idenitity heirarchy process of stating your preferred pronouns and take us back to using “he” but now they as the default? In some bizare unintended way I actually think this is a genius move because now no one gets the special brownie points.
If schools force students to declare pronouns then insist on things like his royal highness, his supremacy etc. Turn it into the farce it is.
Get your kids OUT of government schools. NOW.
If it is a cancelling offense to use he or she for a person who prefers they/them, how is it somehow OK to use “they/them” without permission for the NORMAL students?