USD 500 Kansas City decides whether to notify parents on a case-by-case basis if their child wants to use different pronouns or undergo gender transition, even though federal agencies say such practice is illegal. Now, a new poll from SurveyUSA, sponsored by The Sentinel’s owner, Kansas Policy Institute, finds that by a 5:1 margin, voters believe schools should be required to notify parents if their child wants to use a name not associated with their birth sex.
65% of Kansas voters say schools should be required to inform parents, and only 13% think schools should be prohibited from telling parents that their child wants to use pronouns not associated with the gender at birth. The margin is wider in western Kansas (73-14) and among self-identified conservatives (80-8) and moderates (70-9), but much closer among liberal voters (38-28).
Johnson County voters say schools should be required to notify parents by a 60-13 margin,
The poll was conducted between June 18 and June 25, with 1,041 registered voters and a confidence interval of ± 3.8 or 3.9 percentage points.
Voters also strongly believe that school restrooms may only be used according to one’s gender at birth, by a 71-22 margin. Similar margins hold across all geographic areas, including Johnson County, where 64% of voters agree and only 29% disagree. Conservative and moderate voters overwhelmingly agree, but self-identified liberal voters are split within the margin of error, with 49% agreeing and 52% disagreeing.
State law also prohibits students born male from participating in girls’ athletics, and 75% of voters strongly support that law, with only 20% disagreeing. Voters’ positions on this gender issue are similar to those on the pronoun question, with strong majorities across all geographic areas, as well as among self-identified conservative and moderate voters. Self-identified liberals support it by a 51-42 margin.
On this question, Johnson County voters say biological males should not be allowed to participate in girls’ athletics by a 67-27 margin.
Voters’ message to school board members on gender issues is clear
Dr. Tracy Frederick, executive director of the Kansas School Board Resource Center, a subsidiary of the Kansas Policy Institute, said the poll shows that it is critical for school boards to lead their districts.
“Local school board members have a critical leadership role,” Frederick said. “They are entrusted by their communities to establish the vision and sound policies that guide their school districts to achieve that vision. As elected representatives, they are accountable to the citizens they serve and are responsible for ensuring that district policies reflect the values and expectations of their communities rather than personal preferences or personal political agendas.”
