Parents sue public school district for
allowing children to change 'sex'
without parental notice, consent
MADISON, Wis., February 19, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) - Parents are suing the Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin for allowing children to socially switch to a member of the opposite sex in school without parental notice or consent. Teachers are encouraged to deceive parents by using the child's birth name and biological sex whenever the parents are involved.
The lawsuit alleges that the school district violates parental rights "by adopting a policy designed to circumvent the involvement
of parents in a crucial decision affecting the health and future of their children."
"The policy allows children of all ages to socially transition to a different gender identity in school without parental advice or consent,
requires all teachers to allow this transition, and then prohibits teachers from communicating with parents about
this life-changing choice without the child's consent," the lawsuit adds.
The school district also "orders its teachers and staff to deceive parents by returning to the child's birth name and corresponding pronouns whenever the child's parents are nearby." According to the trial filed on Tuesday, February 18, this violates the
"fundamental and constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children".
Rick Esenberg, president and general counsel of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), said in a statement, "Madison schools have adopted policies that violate constitutionally recognized parental rights. A public school district should not and cannot make decisions reserved for parents.
The school district in the state capital adopted its "Directions and Policies to Support Transgender, Non-Binary and Gender Students" in April 2018.
According to the document, all staff "will refer to students by their names and asserted pronouns."
The lawsuit alleges that the school district violates parental rights "by adopting a policy designed to circumvent the involvement
of parents in a crucial decision affecting the health and future of their children."
"The policy allows children of all ages to socially transition to a different gender identity in school without parental advice or consent,
requires all teachers to allow this transition, and then prohibits teachers from communicating with parents about
this life-changing choice without the child's consent," the lawsuit adds.
The school district also "orders its teachers and staff to deceive parents by returning to the child's birth name and corresponding pronouns whenever the child's parents are nearby." According to the trial filed on Tuesday, February 18, this violates the
"fundamental and constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children".
Rick Esenberg, president and general counsel of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), said in a statement, "Madison schools have adopted policies that violate constitutionally recognized parental rights. A public school district should not and cannot make decisions reserved for parents.
The school district in the state capital adopted its "Directions and Policies to Support Transgender, Non-Binary and Gender Students" in April 2018.
According to the document, all staff "will refer to students by their names and asserted pronouns."
The "refusal to respect a student's name and pronouns" is considered a violation of the school district's non-discrimination policy. The guidelines state that it is important to have "its gender identity recognized and validated," ensuring confidentiality and privacy in the process.
"School staff must not disclose any information that may reveal a student's gender identity to others, including parents or guardians and other school staff, unless required by law or if the student has authorized such disclosure," the guidelines state. The parents, who remain anonymous, say that if their children ever began to experience gender dysphoria, they would "not immediately affirm their children's beliefs about their gender identity and allow them to move to a different gender role, but would instead pursue a treatment approach to help them identify and address the underlying causes of dysphoria and learn to embrace their gender."
The trial illustrates school district sets about transgender students by pointing to teacher training materials
and resources for students used in Madison Public Schools.
A training program for all staff members took place between August and November in almost all schools in the district,
"including most elementary schools," the lawsuit says.
"School staff must not disclose any information that may reveal a student's gender identity to others, including parents or guardians and other school staff, unless required by law or if the student has authorized such disclosure," the guidelines state. The parents, who remain anonymous, say that if their children ever began to experience gender dysphoria, they would "not immediately affirm their children's beliefs about their gender identity and allow them to move to a different gender role, but would instead pursue a treatment approach to help them identify and address the underlying causes of dysphoria and learn to embrace their gender."
The trial illustrates school district sets about transgender students by pointing to teacher training materials
and resources for students used in Madison Public Schools.
A training program for all staff members took place between August and November in almost all schools in the district,
"including most elementary schools," the lawsuit says.
"The training guides teachers through a hypothetical scenario in which a student named 'Jadyn' informs a teacher that he or she wants to change gender identity in school," he continues. "After the training participants have discussed this scenario, the training video informs teachers that "Jadyn has the right to use their stated name and pronoun at school, even without any change in Infinite Campus [official documents] or family authorization."
Teachers are also asked to ask Jadyn "if the family supports [Jadyn's] gender identity." Only if this is the case is that parents are supposed to be involved 'in the planning process for support for gender equality'.
Otherwise, "the training emphasizes that teachers must '[make] not to disclose information about Jadyn's
gender identity without [Jadyn's] permission," the lawsuit states.
The Madison Metropolitan School District devotes an official website to its "welcoming schools" approach, which claims to support
"the emotional and social growth of our students."
"We are committed to creating an anti-racist and non-discriminatory environment where all identities are seen,
valued and respected," the school district boasts.
Many resources push the gay and transgender agenda. Among other things, the school district is linked to "New LGBTQ Inclusive Books for Very Young Children" and "18 multicultural children's books featuring LGBTQIA characters."
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Freedom had already reached out to the school district in December 2019. In a "letter of demand," WILL stated that "Orientations and policies to support transgender, non-binary and gender-based students" contain "
Some policies that violate the constitutional rights of our clients as parents."
At the time, WILL expressed the hope that the school district would "remove these problematic policies and commit
to retraining its teachers and staff accordingly."
Teachers are also asked to ask Jadyn "if the family supports [Jadyn's] gender identity." Only if this is the case is that parents are supposed to be involved 'in the planning process for support for gender equality'.
Otherwise, "the training emphasizes that teachers must '[make] not to disclose information about Jadyn's
gender identity without [Jadyn's] permission," the lawsuit states.
The Madison Metropolitan School District devotes an official website to its "welcoming schools" approach, which claims to support
"the emotional and social growth of our students."
"We are committed to creating an anti-racist and non-discriminatory environment where all identities are seen,
valued and respected," the school district boasts.
Many resources push the gay and transgender agenda. Among other things, the school district is linked to "New LGBTQ Inclusive Books for Very Young Children" and "18 multicultural children's books featuring LGBTQIA characters."
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Freedom had already reached out to the school district in December 2019. In a "letter of demand," WILL stated that "Orientations and policies to support transgender, non-binary and gender-based students" contain "
Some policies that violate the constitutional rights of our clients as parents."
At the time, WILL expressed the hope that the school district would "remove these problematic policies and commit
to retraining its teachers and staff accordingly."
