Earlier this week, my son’s school called to say that his allergies were really acting up and he was running a low temperature. While they didn’t suggest sending him home, we were asked if we wanted to come by the school to give him something for the allergies and the temperature.
It seemed kind of silly for me or my wife to have to stop by the school to bring and administer over-the-counter medicine. Isn’t that what a school nurse is for? Apparently not. That just isn’t how it works, I guess, even if we gave our consent for the nurse to do so. They don’t even have those medicines there.
Okay then. So, I went to the school. The whole affair was over and done with rather quickly. I brought the medicine, I stayed in the school vestibule while my son was escorted down to meet me, I gave him what he needed, and then he went back to class, and I went on my merry way.
As inconvenient as it was to have to interrupt my day to bring over-the-counter medicine because the school nurse couldn’t administer any, that’s actually not what bothered me most about this incident.
What bothered me about this whole thing is that while the school couldn’t give my son an NSAID or an antihistamine, states and schools across the country are making it easier for children to get transgender treatments with the consent or knowledge of their parents.
In December, PJMedia reported on legislation in Washington State that would establish school-based health centers that would allow kids as young as 13 to get confidential health services without their parents’ consent—including abortion and puberty blockers. Back in 2018, California passed a law making it easier for kids as young as 12-years-old to get “gender-affirming health care” without their parents’ consent. The bill was passed and signed by the governor despite the American College of Pediatricians pointing out that “as many as 88% of gender dysphoric girls and 98% of gender dysphoric boys will identify with their biological sex by late adolescence.” Puberty blockers and other hormone treatments administered to these kids typically result in them becoming permanently sterile.
Now, neither of these situations apply to me for a variety of reasons. For one thing, I have no idea what my son’s school would do in a situation where any minor child, regardless of age, wanted to transition without their parents’ knowledge or consent. But, this is an issue that’s very quickly becoming a real threat to parents everywhere. According to the Heritage Foundation, the Equality Act, which is being pushed by the Democratic Party, could make parents lose custody of their children if they don’t consent to them transitioning.
Imagine, if you will, a country where a school can’t give your child Tylenol for a headache, but can aid and abet a child seeking life-changing hormone therapy when the overwhelming odds are that the gender dysphoria they are experiencing will subside by adolescence. You might just be in the Twilight Zone.
Now, I should be clear, I don’t know why a school nurse can’t give a child NSAIDs or antihistamines, and I’m not even really criticizing that policy. What I am criticizing here is how politicized the transgender issue has become that there are people who believe a child can make such a life-altering decision, without their parents’ consent, while something as simple as harmless as a fever-reducer is outside the purview of a school nurse. While we don’t want schools to act in loco parentis, we do expect schools to be looking out for the well-being of our children. In a sane world, a school nurse should be able to give your child Motrin, Tylenol, or an antihistamine before they should be allowed to guide them down the dangerous path of gender transition without parental consent.