To the Editor:

Apparently ignorance is bliss for Michael Nardacci, even if he was, as he claims, a former high school teacher [“A teacher’s judgment should not take precedence over that of the student’s parent,” letter to the Altamont Enterprise editor, Sept. 7, 2023].

He doesn’t seem to understand the difference between “showing a child sexual material” and allowing a student to maintain privacy regarding their gender. He does not make clear what he means by “showing a child sexual material” of course. Maybe he has some backward notion that students discussing gender concerns are asking teachers to show them pornography?

Nardacci also doesn’t understand that there is a difference between transgender and transexual. Since someone who is transexual would have already had surgery, it seems highly unlikely that their parents would not know of it.

While not personally identifying as a progressive, I do have to agree with Mr. Nardacci — he sounds like a bigot. I have to assume he was never the sort of teacher that students wanted to confide in if he can’t understand that some young people might want to discuss something with a trusted teacher and at the same time specify that they are not ready to discuss the situation with their parents.

I can think of any number of situations that a student might request a teacher to help them through an emotional decision but keep it from the parent until the student themselves chose to reveal it. As for this being criminal — apparently Mr. Nardacci doesn’t understand privacy laws. All I can say is, thank goodness he is no longer a teacher.

Thank you to The Enterprise for explaining the privacy laws concerning students.  

Laurie Searl

Berne