Christian Family Sues School District For Withholding Vital Information

In Michigan, a couple, Dan and Jennifer Mead, are pursuing legal action against their daughter’s school district, alleging that the school underwent their daughter’s social transition without their knowledge or consent, concealing the process from them.

Their federal lawsuit contends that staff at East Rockford Middle School began treating their 13-year-old daughter as a boy, using masculine pronouns and a male name, after she disclosed her identification as male to a school counselor the previous year.

The Meads claim that the school deceptively altered their daughter’s records without their permission, only accidentally revealing the transition when an employee overlooked changing one of the records. They were taken aback to discover that the district had initiated treating their daughter as a boy without informing them, which conflicted with their religious beliefs and parental rights.

Represented by attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom, the Meads argue that the district’s actions violated their religious beliefs and rights as parents, prompting them to withdraw their daughter from the school she had attended since sixth grade in 2020.

Referred to as “G.M.” in legal documents, their daughter had sought counseling due to academic struggles at the age of 11 in 2020. Despite the counselor, Erin Cole, being transparent about G.M.’s well-being initially, information became withheld from the parents after G.M. expressed identifying as a boy in seventh grade in 2022.

G.M. had allegedly requested that teachers refer to her using a boy’s name, and by the start of her eighth-grade year in August 2022, the entire school staff reportedly adhered to this request.

The Meads claimed that they were unaware of these arrangements until October 2022 when an employee inadvertently exposed documents referring to their daughter using male pronouns and a different name. Subsequently, the district allegedly attempted to modify the records even after the parents discovered the situation.

Despite the Meads’ objections and request for the district to respect their daughter’s original identity, the school cited policy and refused to comply. This breach of trust has shaken their confidence in the school’s counselors and administrators, according to the lawsuit.

The Rockford Public School District Superintendent, Steven Matthews, declined to comment, citing the obligation to safeguard the family’s privacy and allowing the legal process to unfold.

This case reflects a broader national concern over schools withholding information about gender transitions from parents, with similar disputes arising in various districts across the country, showcasing the complexities surrounding parental rights, children’s autonomy, and school policies regarding gender identity.

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