Preferred names are a big issue in this day and age, and have taken on a new meaning with the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ society in recent years. Where they used to mainly be a nickname someone preferred to go by, they are now more accepted as a name that takes the place of a “deadname” with some LGBTQ+ people, and are a much more sensitive topic.
The term “deadname” is just that－ a name that is dead. LGBTQ+ people who’ve changed their names have a deadname that was given to them at birth, and it is considered very insensitive to call someone by their deadname. With Harding being a high school where many students are in the midst of exploring their gender identities, some choosing to change their names, it can be difficult for teachers and staff to know how to appropriately name and gender their students. It brings up the question: Is there a policy regarding if and how staff should respect students’ preferred names?
The short answer is no. Harding teachers and staff aren’t bound by any policy about students’ names. While many teachers make an effort to call students by their preferred names, some aren’t kept in the loop. “Our staff is very open and understanding,” says guidance secretary Lindsay Eckard. But even for teachers like this it can be difficult to know a student’s preferred name, as the student themselves would have to tell the teacher, a task which can seem daunting for some.
Luckily, an old and favored tool can help with this. The PowerSchool app.
Most students probably recognize PowerSchool as the place where you go to check your grades, but the app is actually a very versatile system used by Marion City Schools to document loads of information about any student, including, of course, names.
A student’s legal first and last name is always on a “student lookup” page. This is a quick and easy way for staff members to look up a student in PowerSchool and see all current information about them. Though a legal name cannot easily be changed in PowerSchool, a preferred name can always be added or changed without much hassle at all. It will appear next to a student’s legal name in quotation marks, and teachers will know that it is the student’s preferred name.
If you are looking to get your preferred name in PowerSchool, head to the guidance office at Harding and ask either Ms. Smith or Ms. Eckard about changing it. No parents or guardians will need to be involved. Changing a legal name would be a bit more difficult, as a guardian would definitely need to be involved (unless you are 18 or older), and court documents would need to be provided.
Names do not always reflect gender identity, an idea which can be confusing for some people. Mr. Joseph Henkel says that something being worked on is getting preferred pronouns in PowerSchool as well, which will be a great step forward for Harding’s LGBTQ+ students, as teachers would then be able to properly address students in class without having to be told.
Teachers aren’t heavily encouraged to call students by their preferred names, says Eckard, but it has been brought up before to staff members. “They all know that the preferred name is right next to the [legal] name,” she states. Most teachers are very understanding of students’ preferred names, but if you should get deadnamed, either on purpose or on accident, Eckard says that you should respectfully approach the teacher and explain that you go by something else. “The teacher has to respectfully accept that,” she says.
If a teacher isn’t compliant with a student’s identity, Eckard and Henkel suggest speaking about it to a principal or guidance counselor. “Our job here…is to make every student comfortable in a learning setting,” Henkel says. Students shouldn’t have to come to school and feel uncomfortable or uncared for, and he understands that using students’ preferred names is a big part of making that happen.
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