Health clinics connected to two Seattle public schools are offering students gender-transition treatment, including hormone therapy and referrals for reconstructive surgery, as part of its school-based medical services.

Operated by the Country Doctor Community Health Centers, the Nova Wellness Center and the Meany Health Center are located within Nova High School and Meany Middle School respectively, according to documents obtained by nonprofit Parents Defending Education.

Among the services the clinics provide for patients are hormone injections of estrogen, testosterone, and androgen blockers, referrals for procedures such as a vaginoplasty and breast removal, and assistance with obtaining mental-health letters of support for these medical interventions, as well as therapy.

“Community healthcare agencies independently operate School-Based Health Centers in spaces provided by Seattle Public Schools,” the district said in a statement. “Seattle Public Schools does not supervise or participate in the provision of health care services in these clinics.”

“School-Based Health Centers follow all applicable laws and regulations pertaining to the provision of health care, including those relating to parental consent and patient confidentiality,” the district added.

The website notes that the clinics do not provide puberty blockers for adolescents at this time. A clinic administrator, medical providers, and a behavior health specialist are staffed at the clinics.

“It’s bad enough that medical professionals are prescribing cross-sex hormones and cutting off breasts and genitals of minors; it is a whole new level of awful and terrifying for schools to be involved,” Erika Sanzi, Director of Outreach for PDE, said in a statement.

In 2020, Seattle Public Schools enacted a policy, “Gender-Inclusive Schools: Transgender and Gender- Expansive Student Rights and Supports,” that advises teachers and staff to keep students’ gender transition secret from parents.

“Staff should not disclose a student’s transgender or gender X status to others unless (1) legally required to do so or (2) the student has authorized disclosure,” the measure, obtained by PDE, states. “When contacting the parents/guardians of a transgender or gender X student and it is unclear whether the student asserts the same gender identity at home, it is best practice to avoid using gender pronouns. For example, one could say, ‘I am concerned about P.J.’s attendance,’ rather than, ‘I am concerned about his attendance.'”

The policy also notes the “right” of the student to be referred to by their preferred gender pronouns while on campus and to use the restroom and locker room that corresponds to their gender identity. Post-pubertal males could therefore use the same facilities as young women at the districts’ high schools.

Male students can also participate in physical-education courses and club sports designated for females and vice versa, the policy adds. This “right” also extends to participation on interscholastic athletic teams consistent with the gender identity students express at school, according to the document.