A bill that would prohibit school staff from addressing students by their preferred pronoun or name was re-referred to committee Monday.
House Bill 1468, by Rep. Wayne Long, R-Bradford, would require written permission from parents before school employees could address students by a pronoun inconsistent with a student’s biological sex or a name other than the one listed on their birth certificate. The bill would not apply to derivative names, such as “Bob” for “Robert,” Long said.
Long asked the House of Representatives to send the bill back committee, saying it needed to be amended. The House Education Committee approved the bill last week with Long saying it was needed to protect teachers from being compelled to address students by a pronoun inconsistent with their biological sex.
Some testified against the bill, saying it was another attempt by the Legislature to single out transgender people in the state.