Schools Question Michigan Dept. of Education’s New LGBTQ Guidelines [VIDEO]

A new policy drafted by the Michigan Department of Education would allow students -- without input from their parents or doctor -- to choose their gender, name, pronouns, and bathrooms.

At least one Michigan school is expressing concern over the DEA's recommendations.

Dr. Keith Smith, Superintendent of Kinsley Area Schools in Northern Michigan tells TV 9 & 10 that this is the first policy that doesn't have schools working with students' families.

“That's going to cause a lot of potential problems for schools when we spend six or eight hours a day with a child,” Dr. Smith says. “Who in this particular case may identify with a different gender, but then the law and policies require us to refer back to the child's legal name and pronouns when talking to the parents.”

Kyle Guerrant, Deputy Superintendent with the Michigan Department of Education, says the DEA's new policy is only a resource, not a requirement.

“We have about 36,000 kids who identify as LGBTQ in our state,” says Guerrant, “Again it's not a required thing. It's a resource to support these recommendations for districts, and those that wish to take on some of these recommendations would do that through their own local authorities.”

Northern Michigan's News Leader