Vermont Health Department Advises Schools to Stop Using Gendered Terms Including ‘Son’ and ‘Daughter’ to Promote Inclusivity
The Vermont Department of Health has recommended that educators avoid using gendered terms like “son” and “daughter” when speaking to students, suggesting that they use gender-neutral terms instead.
In a recent social media post, the department shared a graphic titled “Inclusive Language for Families,” providing guidance for the upcoming academic school year. The department advised using terms such as “child” or “kid” instead of “daughter” or “son” to promote gender neutrality. It also suggested using “family members” instead of “household members” to accommodate students who have divorced or incarcerated parents. The term “extended family” was also discouraged, with “family” being recommended instead.
“Equity in the classroom is an essential piece of a productive and healthy learning environment,” the department said in its post. The X account Libs of TikTok, run by Chaya Raichik, posted a screenshot of the graphic, commenting, “Yes, this is real.”
In a statement to Fox News, the Vermont Department of Health clarified that the guide was “intended to encourage using inclusive language when you don’t know someone’s family situation.”
Additionally, the department has published a “health equity glossary” that includes similar recommendations aimed at promoting inclusive language. The glossary defines gender as a social construct, describing it as “social, psychological, and/or emotional traits, often influenced by societal expectations, that classify someone as man, woman, a mixture of both, or neither.”
The glossary also provided a definition for “white privilege,” describing it as “unquestioned and unearned sets of advantages, entitlements, benefits, and choices that people have solely because they are white.”
