Dickson County Schools To Repeal Transgender Support Policy, Parents Not Yet Convinced

Image Credit: Dickson County Schools / Facebook

The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –

A group of Dickson County parents has sounded the alarm about the school district’s “Procedure and Practice for Supporting Transgender Students”, causing the Dickson County Schools (DCS) Director to supposedly repeal the procedure, but the parents aren’t yet entirely convinced of its elimination as they have yet to see public proof of her directive.

According to a Charlotte Elementary parent Derik Harris, this group of involved parents became aware of the transgender support procedure at the beginning of the school year which required teachers and staff to affirm any student’s chosen gender identity, threatened discipline for refusal, and helped students, faculty, and parents develop gender transition plans. 

“The gender transition may include a change in dress, names, and pronouns as a student completes a process of asserting the sex that corresponds to their gender identity. In order to limit confusion and misunderstanding it is important for administration, student and parent/guardians [to] prepare a plan for the gender transition,” the procedure reads.

Part of the procedure emphasizes that “once a gender transition is made every effort should be made to eliminate or suggest return or change in the gender identity,” while other sections spell out special accommodations for transitioning students regarding restroom usage and overnight field trips at the expense of all other students’ comfort or privacy. 

The policy dictates additional restroom locations to be provided for students “who may want additional privacy or may not be comfortable sharing another student restroom or locker room areas,” and field trip arrangements are to be “designed to ensure a [transitioning] student’s safety and comfort while minimizing stigmatization of the student.” 

And while the policy acknowledges the protections offered to teachers, other students, and district employees against punishment, retribution, or civil liability for choosing not to use a student’s “preferred pronouns” through HB1270 passed last year, the procedure still states that “the intentional or persistent refusal to respect the gender identity of students through this plan will be a violation of this procedure,” which could potentially be contradictory to the law. 

In response to this and other school-related issues, the Dickson County parents launched Take Back School “as an accountability website for parents so the community can track exactly what’s happening in our schools and hold leadership responsible,” per Harris.

Thanks to their education and advocacy efforts, DCS Director Christie Southerland reportedly mentioned at the district’s March 12 Planning Session that the transgender procedure would not be in effect for the 2026-27 school year. She supposedly then shared that plan internally with directors, administrators, and coordinators, and said administrators would further discuss it during summer faculty days.

But the parent watchdogs say two factors are still missing from their belief that the policy is truly dead. Without public proof that the document has been removed from district websites and a reiteration to all teachers and staff that they are protected under Tennessee law in using biologically accurate names and pronouns, they remain skeptical that their concerns have been properly addressed. 

The Tennessee Conservative reached out to Director Southerland to confirm the policy will not be enacted for the 2026-27 school year and ask if there will be an updated policy for future school years or if an announcement permanently repealing it will be made. A reply was not received by the time of publication. This article will be updated if Southerland replies.

But the Take Back School crew appears to be cautiously optimistic, with Harris calling Southerland’s stated intent to repeal the policy “a major victory” and saying this case “actually has a happy ending in progress.” In the meantime, they will continue to press for the two components of accountability they believe necessary to confirm this policy is dismantled for good.

About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.