In the summer of 2022, Governor of Florida Ron Desantis successfully passed into Florida law a bill titled The Florida Parental Rights in Education Act. The bill quickly gained national media attention due to its harsh regulations on Florida public schools, particularly the fact that it prohibits discussion of gender identity or sexuality in schools between the grades of kindergarten and third grade, and that it prevents schools from maintaining confidentiality in regards to student’s gender identity and sexuality. The bill requires teachers to inform parents of anything students disclose on the subject, which is very threatening to LGBTQ-identifying students who may feel unsafe disclosing information about their identity to their families. This year, a similar bill – The North Carolina Parents’ Bill of Rights – was passed in the North Carolina Senate and sent to the House for approval. PCNN sat down with students to hear their opinion on the bill and its potential impact.

Panther Creek High School’s community has long been an inclusive school community with many clubs dedicated to students’ identities – ranging from ethnic and religious clubs to GSA – the Gender and Sexuality Alliance. The club works to create a safe space for LGBTQ students at Panther Creek and promote inclusion. PCNN interviewers spoke to the President of the club, Jessy Taylor, about her opinion on the bill. They said that they believe the bill “Is really dangerous in a lot of aspects.” “People might not feel safe telling their parents,” she said.  Another student believes the bill will be harmful to students. When asked about whether teachers should be required to share changes in students’ pronouns with parents, he said, “I think it should be the student’s choice of whether to tell their parents or not.” “I feel like the person should have the right to tell whoever they want to tell… not someone else telling [their parents] for them,” says another student, Joshua. “You don’t know everyone’s home life – how everyone will react.”

In general, students at Panther Creek informed about the bill anticipate it will have a negative impact on students in the future. Of those polled, 84.6% believe that teachers should not be required to inform a student’s parents if they change their pronouns in school – a vital point of the bill. Another statistic shows that 50% of students have already witnessed discrimination in school against another student because of their gender identity or sexuality. The numbers clearly show that students at Panther Creek do not believe this bill is right – and they believe it will only worsen issues they already witness in school.

These statistics and student anecdotes demonstrate that students at Panther Creek do not support the bill and sincerely hope it does not get passed in the North Carolina house. If this is the common opinion of students at one school in the county, it raises the question of whether disagreement with the bill is universal across the state. Should legislators pass a bill that would create so much harm for the students they vowed to represent within their constituency? Regardless of the result as the bill moves to the house, Panther Creek will remain a welcoming and supportive school community and maintain the school’s long-held values of respect and inclusivity.