Parents who use the virtual PK4 pre-registration form for children in the Independence School District are asked a number of questions, but one seemingly stands out among the others.
Typical questions are asked — such as will your student turn 4 on or before Sept. 15, 2024. Legal first name. Legal last name. But question six is the one that caused some parents in the district to do a doubletake.
That is correct. Parents of PK kids are asked if the child’s gender is nonbinary.
We asked the district how long it has included nonbinary as an option for PK students as well as who makes or made the choice to ask.
“It has been on the registration document for at least five years, which is how long the virtual registration has been available,” said Cynthia Phillips, the district’s superintendent. “Prior to that, we don’t know because it would have been a paper version and none of us were here doing that job.”
