Rhode Island school district allegedly hid students gender transitions from parents

A conservative legal group is calling on the Trump administration to investigate a Rhode Island school district over a policy that allegedly allows school officials to facilitate students’ gender transitions behind their parents’ backs, accusing the district of violating multiple federal civil rights laws.America First Legal (AFL) filed a formal complaint Tuesday with the Justice Department and Department of Education targeting Westerly Public Schools in Westerly, Rhode Island, over a transgender student policy adopted in 2017.“Westerly Public Schools’ policy blatantly violates federal law, tramples on parents’ rights, and embraces radical gender ideology,” Ian Prior, senior counsel at America First Legal, told Fox News Digital in a statement.“Male students claiming to be female receive every privilege while actual female students are shoved aside.

AFL is calling on the Department of Justice and the Department of Education to step in and hold WPS accountable.”The complaint from America First Legal alleges that Westerly Public Schools’ transgender student policy, adopted in 2017, allows school officials to facilitate students’ gender transitions, including changes to names, pronouns and school records, without parental notification or consent.The group also alleges the policy permits students to use bathrooms, locker rooms and participate in sports based on their gender identity rather than biological sex, while requiring students who object to seek separate accommodations.The policy defines “Gender Identity” as “a person’s deeply held sense or psychological knowledge of their own gender.

One’s gender identity can be the same or different than the gender assigned at birth.Most people have a gender identity that matches their assigned gender at birth.

For some, however, their gender identity is different from their assigned gender.”The guidance for secondary students reads, “Generally, notification to a student’s parent(s)/...