School District Sued for Instructing Staff To Lie to Parents About 'Trans' Kids
As the transgender agenda continues to be pushed into the lives of children across the United States, some parents are pushing back.
Fourteen Wisconsin parents are suing the Madison Metropolitan School District for a policy they say not only allows children to “socially transition to a different gender identity at school without parental notice or consent” and but also encourages teachers to lie to parents about that.
“These policies violate Plaintiffs’ rights as parents,” says the lawsuit, filed Tuesday on behalf of the parents by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty in Dane County Circuit Court.
The MMSD policy allows children of any age to change their gender identity and instructs teachers and staff to conceal such changes from parents if they deem it appropriate to do so.
“Madison schools have adopted policies that violate constitutionally recognized parental rights,” Rick Esenberg, WILL’s president and general counsel, said in a statement. “A public school district should not, and cannot, make decisions reserved for parents.”
The law institute is representing eight families in the school district.
Lawsuit Against MMSD by The Western Journal on Scribd
The challenged policy, implemented in 2018, allows children to use a different name or gender identity without the notification of their legal guardians.
Additionally, the school district encourages its employees to use the child’s real name in front of their families with the intent to deceive them.
“Students identified as transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive may have not come out to their families regarding their gender identity,” MMSD says in its “Inclusive Classroom” guide. “Disclosing a student’s personal information such as gender identity or sexual orientation can pose imminent safety risks, such as losing family support and housing.
“All staff correspondence and communication to families in regard to students shall reflect the name and gender documented in [the district’s database] unless the student has specifically given permission to do otherwise.
“This might involve using the student’s affirmed name and pronouns in the school setting, and their legal name and pronouns with family.”
District employees are not permitted to discuss the possibility of gender dysphoria with parents without the child’s consent, regardless of the age of the minor.
Gender dysphoria is a recognized mental illness that can be accompanied by psychological distress and requires treatment from a mental health professional.
This school policy prevents parents from seeking urgent support for the child and denies them the right to make major health decisions for them.
It also denies parents the right to raise their children in accordance with their beliefs.
MMSD spokesman Tim LeMonds told WMTV-TV in Madison on Tuesday morning that the district had not yet been served with the lawsuit.
However, he said, “MMSD prioritizes working in collaboration with families to support our students, and it is always our preferred method of support. MMSD must also prioritize the safety and well-being of every individual student who walks through its doors each day.”
LeMonds said the district stands by its policies in support of transgender students.
In the lawsuit, the parents argue that their right to be informed about their children’s care is being violated.
“These issues are of fundamental importance and their improper handling could have long-lasting negative ramifications on a child’s physical, mental, and spiritual well-being,” the lawsuit says.
The parents are right: Schools cross a line when they blatantly deceive families about their children’s gender and mental health issues.
There can be no “collaboration” with families if they are not informed about what is happening during school hours.
Parents are the most important and influential people in a child’s life and never should be replaced by teachers or school officials.
Families’ rights to protect their kids should not disappear on the whim of a 5-year-old who decides to change his gender.
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