Kansas teacher says she'll continue using students' preferred pronouns as district faces federal investigation

A Kansas teacher says she will continue using students' preferred names and pronouns despite an ongoing federal investigation into her school district's gender identity policies, drawing renewed attention to the district's approach to parental notification and student records.

"I am a teacher in USD 500," Courtney Richardson, a teacher at Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, wrote in a Friday post on Facebook. "I am a PROUD 🌈 ally in all of the spaces that I am in. If your child was born Nicole, and one day they ask me to call them Nick so they feel more comfortable, then I am going to call them Nick and keep it moving. That is not indoctrination. That is a teacher being a safe place for ALL kids. Period."

On the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools website, Richardson appears to be listed as a science teacher.

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"Yall want me to call to ask your permission first," she asked. "Funny thing, when I call home about grades and behaviors, parents seldom answer or respond to messages. So we care more about Nicole being called Nick than we care about these kids graduating without being able to read at grade level, or to form a thought without ChatGPT?! Has anyone of you people who are so passionate about pronouns ever shown up and supported these kids in these schools? The stands at basketball games, music concerts, NHS ceremonies, and PTA meetings are empty, yet yall packed out the board meeting over teachers allegedly not notifying parents of their child’s preferred pronouns?"

On her LinkedIn page, Richardson says she has worked at Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools as a teacher full-time from July 2019 to the present.

She listed one of her past positions as a full-time community organizer for the Kansas Democratic Party in 2018.

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Richardson continued, "I mean the bigger problem is that your kids don’t feel comfortable enough talking to you, their parents, about this. 🗣️THAT SAYS MORE ABOUT YOU FAILING AS A PARENT THAN IT DOES ABOUT US 🌈 SUPPORTERS!!!!! I will continue to be a safe place for all who enter my space. Y’all are weirdos. Thank you for subscribing to my TedTalk."

In a follow-up comment on her post, which received over 100 comments and over 300 reactions, Richardson wrote, "Also, I didn’t say anything wrong, so I fear no consequences. 💅🏾 I don’t care who screenshots this."

At the beginning of the month, the Trump administration said it was considering taking enforcement action against Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, including potentially withholding federal funding, over policies it says do not require school staff to inform parents when a student identifies as transgender.

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The Education Department said the district's policy of not informing parents about a student's transgender status violates the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and said it is working with the Justice Department on possible enforcement actions, which could include litigation and the loss of federal funding.

In a press release, the Department of Education stated, "The Trump Administration’s policy is simple: the blatant refusal to acknowledge parental rights will not be tolerated."  

A spokesperson for Kansas City Kansas Public Schools told Fox News Digital in a statement, "Since this is a personnel matter, KCKPS can not comment at this time."

Fox News Digital reached out to Richardson for comment but did not immediately hear back.