Orange County Public Schools
  • The school district’s policy requires schools to foster a school culture that values and fosters understanding of gender identity and expression.
  • In June 2025, staff promoted a resolution that called for students, staff, and community members to honor a “diverse community” during LGBTQ+ Pride month.
  • The district’s policies require schools to promote the “social integration of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming students and staff.” School principals are required to make staff aware of training opportunities on this topic.
  • The district’s policies state: “individual student/staff member is the best person to determine their own identity. School staff should be sensitive to, and use, the terminology that supports and respects the wishes of the individual student/staff member.” (no parental consent required)
  • The district’s policies allow staff to discuss gender identity with students without parental consent: “Some transgender students have not talked to their parents about their gender identity and/or do not want their parents to know about their transgender status based on safety concerns or concerns about a lack of acceptance. The school principal or their designee should speak with the student first to ascertain concerns the student may have, what support may be needed to keep the student safe at school, and how to involve the student’s parents, if at all.”
  • Students can use locker rooms and bathrooms based on their chosen gender identity, not biological sex: “A transgender student or staff member must be permitted to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity consistently asserted at school. Access to locker rooms and changing rooms will be resolved on a case-by-case basis as part of individual students’ Gender Support plans. Transgender students and staff members shall not be required to use a restroom, locker room or changing room that conflicts with their consistently asserted gender identity and shall not be prevented from participating in physical education or sports activities on the basis of locker room availability.”
  • Students must be permitted to participate in school activities (including overnight field trips) based on gender identity: “Students must be permitted to participate in all school activities (e.g., overnight field trips) in accordance with their gender identity consistently asserted at school.”
  • District policy “does not require employees to notify parents that their children have presented as transgender, non-binary, or gender non-conforming.”