Topeka Public Schools (Unified School District 501) just agreed to roll back the privacy protections that kept transgender students' gender identity between them, their families, and their school — caving to a year of pressure from the U.S. Department of Education and Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. Under the new agreement, the district will stop creating any plans that support students' social transitions and must give parents access to those records if they exist. But district spokesperson Aarion Gray told the Topeka Capital-Journal that "the district does not have any gender support plans" in the first place.

This wasn't in response to a parent complaint, either. Gray confirmed the district never received one. The investigation was set in motion by Attorney General Kobach and a political advocacy group, the Defense of Freedom Institute, not by any Topeka family raising a concern about their own child.

Forcing schools to disclose a student's gender identity without that student's consent can put kids at real risk, especially when home isn't a safe place to come out yet. A kid who is outed before they're ready can face rejection, family conflict, or worse. No student should have to weigh being honest about who they are against their own safety.

The Topeka USD 501 Board of Education still decides how this agreement gets carried out in practice, and it can choose to put student safety first even under federal pressure. Districts in Shawnee, Olathe, and Kansas City are facing the same choice right now.

Sign the petition and tell the Topeka USD 501 Board of Education: don't sacrifice a trans kid's safety to avoid a political fight.