Basis Elementary, Arizona, Allegedly Orders Families to Accept Trans Coach’s New Gender Identity
The email stated that students could continue to address the coach as "Coach," but were asked not to question the coach's gender identity or appearance.
December 26, 2026
This article was last updated by Alisha Shrestha on December 26, 2026
A BASIS Charter School Campus in Arizona has become the center of a growing controversy after parents and community members alleged that school leadership instructed families to affirm a physical education coach’s new transgender identity and warned that failure to do so could result in disciplinary action for students.
As per parents who say they obtained a copy of an internal email, administrators at BASIS Chandler Primary North, an elementary school, informed families that PE coach Michael Jahrman had transitioned and would now be known as Lily Jahrman.
The email stated that students could continue to address the coach as “Coach,” but were asked not to question the coach’s gender identity or appearance.
“Coach Jahrman has recently undergone a personal transition and will now be known as Lily Jahrman,” the email reportedly .
“BASIS follows all nondiscrimination policies, including those related to gender, and remains committed to providing a respectful and supportive environment for every student and employee. Please take a moment to let your child know that Coach’s appearance has changed so that PE classes can continue smoothly without unnecessary questions. Coach’s focus remains on teaching and supporting students in PE.”
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The email, according to critics, went beyond simple notification and effectively required families to ensure their children complied with the school’s nondiscrimination policies as they relate to gender identity.
Concerns escalated after parents reviewed the BASIS Charter Schools’ code of conduct, which outlines a “zero tolerance policy toward any language or behavior that intimidates, belittles, or causes physical or emotional injury to others.”
The policy allows each school discretion in determining disciplinary consequences and prohibits “derogatory statement” tied to protected characteristics, including gender expression.
Under these guidelines, parents argue that an elementary-aged child who misgenders or uses Jahrman’s former name, referred to as “deadnaming,” could potentially face disciplinary action, even if the behavior is unintentional.
The code of conduct further states that nondiscrimination protections extend to “actual or perceived classification protected by law,” with training materials clarifying that Title IX sex discrimination prohibitions include gender identity and expression.
Students are required to adhere to anti-harassment polices in all interactions and may not engage in speech deemed threatening, vulgar, or harassing.
The situation gained wider attention after Arizona-based social media users began sharing screenshots and commentary online.
In a post dated December 12, 2026, Libby Settle asked publicly whether families should continue supporting the school writing:
Does your child attend BASIS Chandler Primary North?
Do you support BASIS with donations?
Families received a letter stating the male coach has transitioned to female & students should refer to him as her or “Coach”?
Pull your children & donations now until he resigns or fired
That post alone received over 1,600 views and prompted dozens of replies.
Some commenters raised safety and privacy concerns, particularly around locker room access.
One user, @PatriotGal480, ,
So is this “female” coach able to go into the girls’ locker room? Save the children!
Settle responded that she had been told staff and students share restrooms at the middle and high school levels, while noting the coach works at the elementary school.
Other reactions ranged from calls to withdraw funding to harsh personal attacks. Jeff Nelson (@jeffreym_nelson) wrote,
Unacceptable. If you want to be trans that bad you don’t need to also be a PE teacher.
On the other hand, the Myth of Education Podcast account urged parents to “cut the funding.”
Their administration is insane for allowing this. Cut the funding, parents!
Several commenters escalated into inflammatory rhetoric, including suggestions of criminal suspicion and profanity-laced insults.
At least one commenter pushed back, ,
Someone is transphobic… Someone is a bigot…
Adding another layer to the controversy, court records confirm that Jahrman filed a legal application for a name change in mid-September with the Maricopa County Superior Court, which was approved several days before Thanksgiving.
Social media activity linked to Jahrman has also drawn scrutiny, with critics pointing to political comments made on posts by Occupy Democrats and Ok! Magazine as evidence of partisan views, while supporters argue these are unrelated to professional conduct.
As of now, BASIS Charter Schools has not issued a detailed public response addressing the specific concerns raised by parents regarding discipline, locker room access, or how policies are applied to young children.
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