School boards across the United States are increasingly facing lawsuits alleging violations of parental rights, particularly in cases involving sensitive issues such as gender identity, religious expression, and educational content. These legal challenges often arise when parents believe that school policies or actions have bypassed their authority or failed to adequately inform them about significant decisions affecting their children.
One prominent area of litigation involves schools allowing students to change their names and pronouns at school without parental notification or consent. For example, in a case from Leon County, Florida, a 13-year-old student assigned female at birth was permitted by the school to use a male name and they/them pronouns. The school implemented this change, including updating internal records and instructing staff to use the new name and pronouns, without informing the parents. The parents sued, claiming their parental rights were violated because they were excluded from decisions about their child’s social transition. Although lower courts dismissed the case, the parents took it to the U.S. Supreme Court, highlighting the tension between student privacy, school policies, and parental rights.
Similarly, in Michigan, a family sued their local school board after the school began referring to their child by a masculine name and pronouns without parental knowledge or approval. The child, diagnosed with several mental health conditions, requested the change through a counselor. The parents alleged that the school’s actions violated their constitutional rights, including their right to direct their child’s upbringing, education, and healthcare. A federal court allowed the parental rights claim to proceed, emphasizing that while schools may have interests in student safety and privacy, these do not automatically override parents’ fundamental rights to be involved in significant decisions about their children.
Beyond gender identity issues, school boards have also been sued over other parental rights concerns. For instance, some lawsuits challenge the display of religious materials, such as the Ten Commandments, in public school classrooms. Parents and families from diverse faith backgrounds have filed suits arguing that such displays violate the constitutional separation of church and state and infringe on their religious freedoms. These cases often seek court orders to remove religious displays and prevent schools from imposing religious content on students.
Another serious category of lawsuits involves allegations of schools failing to protect students from sexual abuse or misconduct by faculty or other students. Lawsuits have been filed against school districts for negligence in hiring, supervising, or responding to reports of sexual assault. These cases claim that schools ignored complaints or covered up incidents, thereby violating students’ rights to a safe educational environment and parents’ rights to protec
