Fairfax County school bus is pictured above (Getty Images)
According to FCPS's guidance to faculty and teachers, if a student wants to socially transition with a new name, educators should leave their new name out of the district's official records that are viewable by parents, and only change them in the records viewable by just district officials. The same with nicknames, as the district policy states, "caution should be utilized in using the nickname field in" the parent-facing information databases ran by the district.
"Changing the student’s name in the Student Information tab of SIS and storing the legal name in the Protected Information tab is not appropriate if the student’s parent/guardian is unaware of the student’s transition since this may unintentionally out the student and potentially compromise their safety and well-being," FCPS's Regulation 2603 states. "For those students who choose to change name and/or gender in SIS, the legal information will be stored in the Protected Information tab of SIS."
MAINE MOM ASKS SUPREME COURT TO STEP IN AFTER SCHOOL ALLEGEDLY HID CHILD’S GENDER TRANSITION
The guidance appears to be aware of potential FERPA violations, warning educators that if a parent or guardian requests access to see their child's records, they will have access to both the child's chosen and given name.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaks to the crowd as protesters gather outside the Supreme Court as it hears arguments over state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Title IX attorney and legal expert Sarah Perry said in an interview with Fox News Digital that FERPA and Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment complaints have "inundated" the Education Department's Office of Civil Rights, pointing to one lawsuit she helped file recently against the Seattle Public Schools system.
"The student privacy office is not used to being weaponized," Perry said. "They've already published a spring agenda – the clarification is apparently going to come from the Trump administration on what an educational record means."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/school-district-hot-seat-amid-fresh-allegations-hiding-students-gender-transition