America First Legal Sues Anne Arundel County Public Schools Over Gender Identity Policy

America First Legal (AFL), in partnership with Consovoy McCarthy PLLC, has filed a federal lawsuit against Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS), alleging the school system secretly facilitated a student's social gender transition without notifying or obtaining the consent of the child's parents.

To read the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, click here. 

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on behalf of two AACPS parents identified as John and Jane Doe, challenges the school system's Policy JQ, Regulation JQ-RA, and related guidance governing gender identity accommodations for students.

According to the complaint, the parents allege AACPS staff supported their minor child in using a male name and presenting as male while at school without informing them or seeking their permission. The lawsuit claims the parents became aware of the situation only after two separate school employees inadvertently referred to the student by a male name in communications with them.

The complaint alleges that, when questioned, staff members initially attributed the name to a case of mistaken identity before later acknowledging that the student had requested to be addressed by the male name at school.

The parents contend they instructed AACPS that their child should be referred to only by her legal name. According to the lawsuit, the school system declined to follow that request, stating that its gender identity policies governed how staff must respond.

America First Legal argues that AACPS policies direct school employees to support a student's asserted gender identity without requiring parental notification or consent and do not provide parents with an opportunity to opt out. The lawsuit alleges those policies violate both the United States Constitution and the Maryland Constitution by interfering with parents' fundamental rights to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

In a statement announcing the lawsuit, AFL Senior Counsel Ian Prior said the organization believes parents have a fundamental right to know what is occurring with their children at school and to make decisions regarding their upbringing. He said the organization intends to challenge what it describes as AACPS's authority to facilitate a student's social gender transition without parental knowledge or consent.

The lawsuit  judicial  against the school system's . 

This  reports allegations contained in a federal . The claims have been  by the plaintiffs and have not been proven in court. Report Annapolis News will update this story if AACPS files a response or issues a public statement.