Hunter
09/13/22
A US District Court judge denied a request from Linn-Mar School District parents to issue a temporary injunction that would bar enforcement of the district’s policy protecting transgender and non-binary students.
The Gazette reports that the policy currently in force ensures that the district complies with state law that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. In court documents, Judge CJ Williams said that the policy ensures that no child is subject to harassment, bullying or made to feel lesser for any reason by students, staff and others while at school. Williams added that if an injunction were issued and a student were bullied or harassed, school officials would not be able to step in and stop it.
The District is being sued by the national organization Parents Defending Education for enacting the policy in April. It provides inclusiveness for transgender students, allowing them access to restrooms, locker rooms and changing areas that correspond with their gender identity.
The anonymous parents who filed the suit say the policy allows the schools to create a gender support plan without their consent, and believe their kids will be punished if they don’t respect another child’s name or pronoun, despite their beliefs that there are only two genders.
