WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HB 501

SCHOOL REPORTING OF GENDER INCONGRUENCE

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Rebecca Dow and 2 co-sponsors

Requires school staff to report a student's gender incongruence to administrators, who must notify parents and co-create a parent-involved response plan.

action postponed indefinitely
#education #publicschools
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 501

Summary — HB 501: "School Reporting of Gender Incongruence"

Status: Action postponed indefinitely (died in subcommittee / withdrawn from consideration)
Introduced: November 12, 2024
Subject: Education — Public Schools

Main purpose

HB 501 would add a new section (proposed Section 2210A to the School Personnel Act) requiring school employees to report and school administrators to notify parents when a student expresses or begins a transition related to gender identity (“gender incongruence”), and to develop a parent-involved response plan for the student.

Key provisions

  • Defines “gender incongruence” as a difference between a child’s biological sex and the child’s perceived or desired sex.
  • Requires any school employee who learns that a child “mentions gender incongruence” or transitions at school to report the matter to a school administrator.
  • Requires the school administrator to notify a parent (or guardian) when such a report is made.
  • Requires the administrator, together with the parent, to implement a “response plan” for the student. The response plan may include counseling or other supports.
  • The bill does not appropriate funds or specify training/implementation resources.
  • No effective date is provided in the text; if enacted without a specified date the bill would take effect 90 days after adjournment (the fiscal note cites June 20, 2025, as the default).

Who would be affected

  • Students (particularly gender‑nonconforming or transgender students) — the bill would affect how information about their gender identity disclosed at school is handled.
  • School employees and administrators — added reporting and notification duties.
  • Parents/guardians — would be notified and expected to participate in response planning.
  • School counseling and support services — may be engaged in response plans, though no new funding is provided.

Fiscal impact and timeline

  • Fiscal note: No appropriation included; Legislative Finance Committee and multiple agencies identified no fiscal impact.
  • Timeline if enacted without a specified date: would become effective 90 days after adjournment (cited as June 20, 2025 in the analysis).
  • Legislative status: introduced Nov. 12, 2024; read and referred to committee; later indefinitely postponed and died in a government operations subcommittee (listed as action postponed indefinitely).

Significant issues raised in analyses

  • Legal precedent: The First Circuit (Foote v. Ludlow School Committee, Case No. 23‑1069) has recognized that parent‑notification mandates can conflict with creating safe school environments and may implicate student privacy and equal educational opportunity concerns.
  • Professional guidance: The American Psychological Association and National Association of School Psychologists recommend that schools protect the privacy of students’ gender identity and provide staff training — HB 501 does not require professional development or explicitly protect student privacy.
  • Risk concerns: Civil liberties and child welfare organizations warn that forced parental outing can place gender‑diverse youth at risk of family rejection, abuse, homelessness, and adverse mental health outcomes.
  • Technical clarity: Agencies noted the bill lacks detail about what constitutes a student’s requested “participation” in a transition and does not specify parameters or oversight for the required “response plans.”

Relationship to other legislation

Analysts note HB 501 is related to a package of bills addressing gender identity, medical treatment, parental consent, and school policy (examples cited include House Bills 185, 466, 543 and Senate Bills 258, 356, 459, 500). These bills address topics such as medical care, school curricula, and nondiscrimination protections.

This summary focuses on the provisions and impacts of the school‑reporting bill titled “School Reporting of Gender Incongruence” as reflected in the legislative and fiscal analyses provided.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.