Michigan School District Sued for Failure to Seek Parental Consent for Daughter's Pronoun Change

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By Jackelyn Cornejo , Parent Herald Feb 03, 11:35 am

Photo: (Photo : SAVO PRELEVIC/AFP via Getty Images)

An angered couple from Michigan is suing the Rockford Public School District, asserting that their autistic teenage daughter was referred to using a different name and male pronouns without their knowledge or consent.

Dan and Jennifer Mead filed a lawsuit alleging that the school district violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights by not informing them about and concealing the treatment of their daughter as male.

The lawsuit, shared by the law firm Alliance Defending Freedom, claims that the district's policy is to use names and pronouns associated with the opposite sex for students without parental notification or consent.

Michigan School District Allowed Pronoun Change Parental Consent

The Meads, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, argued that the school's policies violate parental rights protected by the U.S. Constitution.

The school principal reportedly claimed that the children's desires outweighed those of the parents. The attorney contends that such actions are unconstitutional, emphasizing the right of parents to direct their children's upbringing and education.

The Meads express concern for other parents facing similar situations and emphasize the importance of transparency and seeking justice for their daughter and others affected.

The lawsuit, filed before Christmas, addresses the alleged violation of the family's constitutional rights and seeks damages for the costs of removing their child from school.

The Meads first became aware of the alleged actions when they received a modified report from a school neuropsychologist indicating a masculine name for their daughter.

The district, according to the lawsuit, regularly used this male identity for their daughter without notifying the parents.

The couple discovered this when their daughter messaged a counselor requesting teachers to address her with a male name.

Despite sharing their daughter's autism diagnosis and other concerns with the school counselor, the Meads were reportedly not informed of the name and pronoun change.

The school neuropsychologist continued using the masculine identity in official documents, leading the parents to pull their daughter out of public school and opt for homeschooling.

The lawsuit seeks nominal and compensatory damages, as well as attorneys' fees and court costs, alleging a violation of constitutional rights and failure to inform the parents about the school's actions.

Parents Not Informed of Child's Social Transitioning

Kate Anderson, director of ADF's Center for Parental Rights, stated that parents, not the government, have the right to direct their children's upbringing, education, and health care.

She accused the Rockford Public School District of deliberately hiding crucial information from the Meads, asserting that the district's employees did not notify the parents about using a masculine name and male pronouns for their child.

Anderson also claimed that district policy required altering records to conceal these actions.

Steve Matthews, the superintendent of Rockford Public Schools, mentioned that they received the lawsuit but preferred not to discuss it in the media.

He emphasized responding in the courtroom and respecting the family's privacy rights.

According to ADF, the Meads' child attended East Rockford Middle School, where they fell behind in studies after starting in 2020.

Despite regular meetings with a school counselor, the parents allege they were not informed when their child requested to be addressed by a masculine name in May 2022.

The lawsuit claims that the Meads learned about the use of male pronouns during a meeting about accommodating their child's recent autism diagnosis.

The Meads withdrew their child from the school in October 2022 and turned to homeschooling due to the district's alleged refusal to comply with their request to stop using masculine names and pronouns.

The lawsuit argues that these actions violated the Meads' religious beliefs and parental rights.

Seeking damages and declaring that the district's policy violated their constitutional rights, the case adds to the broader discussion around schools and students navigating gender identity issues in Michigan.