WASHINGTON — On Friday, a prestigious school district in Connecticut faced a federal complaint claiming that its staff is improperly allowing students to hide their transgender identities from their parents.
America First Legal, an organization established by Stephen Miller, who is currently serving as the White House deputy chief of staff, has accused Amity Regional School District No. 5, located in Woodbridge, of contravening federal laws that protect parental rights.
In its complaint, America First Legal argued that the school district is misinterpreting the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). “The district believes FERPA requires them to keep student records secret from parents, but this distorts the law’s intent,” the group asserted.
“FERPA is designed to limit the sharing of student records with third parties, not to prevent parents—who are the primary rights holders under FERPA—from accessing them,” the complaint continued.
The district’s policy, which underwent revision last year, states that schools “should not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status or gender nonconforming identity to others, including parents, families, or legal guardians.”
Furthermore, the policy directs staff to use a student’s legal name and the pronouns corresponding to their gender assigned at birth, unless instructed otherwise by the student.
However, it also states that any “student has the right to be addressed by a name and pronoun that corresponds to the student’s gender identity,” regardless of whether a legal name or gender change has been made.
“Parents are the primary decision-makers for their children,” AFL Senior Counsel Ian Prior said in a statement. “ARSD’s gender identity policies are plainly unlawful. Federal intervention is needed to reverse these policies and restore parents’ rightful role at the center of these decisions.”
The group filed a complaint with the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department and the Department of Education’s Division of Student Privacy Policy Office, demanding an investigation.
FERPA, first enacted in 1974, permits parents or guardians access to their children’s educational records while controlling accessibility by public entities — such as potential employers, publicly funded schools, and foreign governments.
America First Legal has also demanded remedial measures including rescission of the district’s policy, FERPA training for staff, the possible removal of federal funds.
In March, the Supreme Court upheld a California federal judge’s ruling that concealing a student’s gender identity from their parents likely violates the 14th Amendment.
ARSD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
