The Vermont Department of Health has called on teachers and educators to be gender-neutral as students return to the classroom for the fall semester, and stop using nouns like “daughter” and “son” in favor of words that don’t presume children’s sexes.
“The language we use matters,” the state agency announced in a Facebook post about its “inclusive language” initiative.
“When talking about family,” the post read, “it’s important to use terms that cover the many versions of what family can look like.”
In a graphic that accompanied the department’s post, the Vermont agency urged school employees to use terms like “child” and “kid” instead of “daughter” and “son,” explaining, “This is gender-neutral and can describe a child who may not be someone’s legal son or daughter.”
It further suggests educators and administrators say “family members” as opposed to “household members,” because “not all families live in the same home,” referring to divorced or incarcerated parents.
