TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A middle school in the Catalina foothills is now at the center of debate over student privacy versus parents’ rights.
This week, a September 2021 email from Orange Grove Middle School principal Mark Rubin-Toles resurfaced, sparking debate and national conversation after being picked up by Fox News.
The subject line reads: CONFIDENTIAL: list of students with pronouns & preferred names different than in synergy
In it, Rubin-Toles shares a list of students, telling teachers and staff:
“You may have been challenged recently to keep some of our kids' pronouns and preferred names
straight - and to remember what can and can't be shared with families…
“Please be very careful - students in red are NOT comfortable with us sharing this information with their parents /
guardians… It is our responsibility to protect student privacy in these matters.”
Orange Grove Parents are divided over the conversation.
David Sbarra has one child at the school and another who recently graduated. He and others stand behind their principal.
“What you see in the email is the precise kind of action you want from your principal or an academic leader or administrator,” said Sbarra. “It’s caring. It’s thoughtful. It’s committed. It’s creating a safe environment for students at the school. And that’s the kind of thing that really matters for their well-being.”
The Catalina Foothills School District sent KGUN the following statement:
“Mark Rubin-Toles is a thoughtful, talented, and compassionate administrator. His decision in 2021 to create a confidential email with a list of students was inconsistent with our district practice. Regardless, we want to be clear that he has our full support.”
But other parents are concerned.
KGUN spoke on the phone with one who wants to remain anonymous, fearing retaliation against them or their child.
They want Rubin-Toles to be disciplined.
They say the political debate over gender identity is irrelevant, that the greater issue of withholding information from parents can be a slippery slope.
The parent also says in general, parents or kids who disagree with the district “have a target on their back”
Both parents who spoke with KGUN believe there need to be more discussions with the district.
“Some sort of debriefing on it needs to happen at the level of the school board of saying, ‘OK, well, what is the policy? What happened? Where would we like to go and what would we like to do from here?’” said Sbarra.
Arizona law states parents have the right to make health decisions for their children and review psychological records from their schools. Both could make mention of a child's gender identity.
