OKLAHOMA CITY ( KFOR ) – The Oklahoma State Board of Education unanimously passed a permanent rule Thursday afternoon that effectively prohibits school districts from altering a student’s recorded gender.
In October, Governor Kevin Stitt approved an emergency rule prohibiting school districts and sites from altering sex or gender designations on student records without authorization from the State Board of Education .
According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), it has received notice that some students changing their sex or gender with parental consent are also seeking to remove prior records that reflect their sex or gender during prior years.
“The rule will provide districts with clear authority to protect their historical records,” the agency wrote in a rule impact statement. “The rule change does not concern public health, safety, and environment. Instead, the agency anticipates passage of this emergency rule will avoid serious prejudice to the public interest in maintaining accurate government records. This rule is proposed to ensure that school records are not irreparably altered pending consideration of a permanent rule restricting changes to historical records.”