change preferred name change gender

[jayceparsons]

I am in 9th grade and my school counselors are telling me that I can't add my preferred name or gender in PowerSchool because it HAS to match my birth certificate, but I've been researching it and I discovered there is an option to add my preferred name. Despite this, they insisted that it wasn't an option to change it  but there is the option. I am trans and in JROTC according to my sergeant In order to get a male uniform I need to change my gender in PowerSchool but yet again my counselors are insisting it must match my birth certificate. Because of the state I am in it is currently illegal to change that, but I would like to know if like the name there is also an option to change my preferred gender. Help? 

[JeffG9]

Sorry you are having difficulty. This will depend on a lot of different factors depending on the state you live in. In New York, NYSED guidelines are as follows:

"Report transgender students with the gender with which the student chooses to identify. In the case of very young transgender students not yet able to advocate for themselves, the request to report the student’s gender may come from the student’s parent or guardian. Transgender students may be reported with changed gender and changed name but must continue to be reported with their originally assigned NYSSIS ID and local ID in order to track their progress longitudinally. School districts should immediately update student records, including transcripts, with the student’s chosen name and appropriate gender markers and not circulate records with the student’s birth name. Anyone provided a transcript or accessing a student’s record should only receive the chosen name. To protect the confidentiality of a student’s transgender status, the birth name should be treated as confidential personally identifiable information." (SIRS Manual)

PowerSchool has also made Preferred Name fields available but they are "hidden" by default (in New York; see screenshot).

I would gather as much information I can find on applicable laws in your state and see what they say. Good luck.

[jayceparsons]

i am currently in Tennessee and i really appreciate your help

[JyotishkaB]

Hi @jayceparsons 

You would need to contact the district with this request because the preferred name/nickname would need to be changed by your district by working with our support team through the database tables.