The Supreme Court on Monday denied a legal battle brought by parents protesting a school policy of hiding their child’s gender transition from them, saying it runs afoul of their fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their kids.
A group of three parents — who remained anonymous for privacy reasons — filed a lawsuit against Maryland’s Montgomery County Board of Education after it adopted a policy to have school employees hide from parents whether their child is transitioning.
The school employees are to keep the information secret if they suspect the parents won’t support the transition.
The parents, in their legal filing, argued schools across the country have adopted policies against sharing information with moms and dads, citing one group tracking the issue noted more than 1,000 rules have been enacted that affect 10 million students, so the court should take up the case.
“Surveys of minors show that they are exhibiting gender confusion in record and ever-increasing numbers. These parents challenge their local policy as violating their fundamental rights to care and make decisions for their minor children,” their brief read.
It would have taken four justices to vote in favor of hearing the case, John and Jane Parents 1 v. Montgomery County Board of Education.
The board in its filing to the justices urged them not to hear the dispute after it was dismissed by lower courts.
The board said the parents didn’t demonstrate that the school policy was applied to their children. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had dismissed the case on that ground — that the parents lacked standing or sufficient legal injury.
“The guidelines seek to ensure a ’safe, welcoming school environment where students are engaged in learning and are active participants in the school community because they feel accepted and valued,’” read the board’s filing.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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