A mom is suing a Maine school district that allegedly kept her daughter’s gender transition a secret and provided the 13-year-old girl with multiple chest binders.
During the 2022-2023 school year, Amber Lavigne allegedly discovered that a social worker at Great Salt Bay Community School gave her 13-year-old daughter two chest binders to aid in a gender transition, advising her to not tell her mother. The Goldwater Institute filed a Tuesday lawsuit against Great Salt Bay Community School and Samuel Roy, the social worker, on behalf of Lavigne for allegedly violating her constitutionally granted parental rights. (RELATED: Parents Sue Wisconsin School Over ‘Gender Support Plan’ That Hides Students’ Transitions)
“This was no accident: my daughter’s public school counselor deliberately tried to keep me in the dark, encouraging my daughter’s gender transition and encouraging her to hide it from me,” Lavigne said in a press release. “When school officials found out, they actually defended the counselor’s actions, trampling on my constitutional rights at every turn. I deserve to know what’s happening to my child—the secrecy needs to stop.”
School officials allegedly began to address Lavigne’s daughter by a male pronouns and a different name without informing or receiving permission from Lavigne, the lawsuit stated. When Lavigne brought her concerns about the chest binder to administration, they allegedly denied that the school was helping her daughter secretly transition and did not give her paperwork regarding the child’s gender change.
Lavigne allegedly confronted the school board in December about the incident before demanding that the school investigate the allegations in February, according to the lawsuit.
“When administrators receive concerns from parents and/or students about potential issues in school, the board has specific procedures in place that must be followed when addressing these concerns,” the board said in a Dec. 19 statement. “Those policies comply with Maine law, which protects the right of all students and staff, regardless of gender/gender identity, to have equal access to education, the supports and services available in our public schools and the student’s right to privacy regardless of age.”
Parents have a constitutional right to control & direct the education, upbringing, & healthcare decisions of the kids. But they can’t fully exercise that right if public schools hide information from them. Today, @GoldwaterInst has filed a federal lawsuit to protect that right. https://t.co/pmSSk2OLUM
— Adam Shelton (@realACShelton) April 5, 2023
As of April 5, Roy still appears to be an employee at the school district, the Goldwater Institute told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Around the country, activist educators who think they know best are putting themselves between parents and children,” Adam Shelton, Goldwater Institute staff attorney, told the DCNF. “But parents like Amber are standing up for their constitutionally protected parental rights. Parents shouldn’t have to go to court just to find out what’s happening to their children in public schools, but Amber’s lawsuit shows parents aren’t afraid to fight back when schools keep them in the dark.”
Roy could not be reached for comment and the Great Salt Bay Community School did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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