ROCHESTER, MN (KTTC) – In response to the approval of a new school district policy regarding transgender and gender-expansive students, two law firms are threatening legal action against Rochester Public Schools (RPS).
On Thursday, the law firms Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) and The Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC) issued warnings to the district, threatening legal action if the district “transitions a child without notice or parental consent.”
“Parents have the right to raise their children,” said WILL Associate Attorney Luke Berg. “No school district can make this kind of decision for parents. WILL has considerable experience defending parental rights, and we will do it again.”
The new RPS guidelines stipulate that if a student shares information about their gender identity with a staff member, the staff member is not obligated to inform the student’s parents. However, if a parent requests this information, the staff is required to disclose what discussions were had regarding the student’s gender identity. The guidelines also allow RPS students to change their name or preferred pronouns without parental consent.
Both UMLC and WILL argue that this policy could negatively impact the role parents play in raising their children.
“Parents have the constitutional right to guide the upbringing, education, and care of their children. However, school districts like Rochester are ignoring parents’ concerns and are even actively working against them,” said UMLC attorney James Dickey.
To read RPS’s statements on the new district policy, click here.
[Article written by Noah Caplan, translated by Karina Coronel]
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