ROCKFORD, Mich. — Most in attendance at Rockford's school board meeting Monday night were speaking on the lawsuit filed by the Mead family in late December.
"The district claims to operate transparently and respect parent's rights, but now the truth is out," said a man during public comment. "Rather than be an honest and educational institution focusing on academics, RPS is becoming an agent of woke propaganda."
The 44-page lawsuit claims that the Rockford school district purposely tried to hide information that showed their child had changed their pronouns, and name. The child was born biologically female.
"In my eyes, all the school has done is the bare minimum," said Cassie Villarreal. "They chose to respect the chosen name and pronouns of an individual, They absolutely haven't done anything wrong in showing this teenager respect and compassion."
The Alliance Defending Freedom filed the suit on behalf of the parents, Dan and Jennifer Mead, against Rockford Public School District.
The Lawsuit also claims that the Meads only found out about it because of a mistake by one of their child's teachers.
13 ON YOUR SIDE spoke to Alliance Defending Freedom in December when the lawsuit was first announced.
"This was just a total breakdown in the trust that the Meads had placed in the school district, that they think like most parents, that when their kid is at school, they're going to know what's going on, and the school is not going to keep information from them," said Vincent Wagner from Alliance Defending Freedom.
The suit claims that the district not sharing this information with the parents violates the U.S. Constitution.
The attorneys said they are seeking damages related to the cost of pulling their child out of school as well as asking the court to declare the school's policy as a violation of the parents' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
The parents also claim when they asked the district to stop calling their child by their preferred pronouns and name, and to call their child by their birth name-- the district refused.
In the suit, the Meads say their religious beliefs teach them that there are only two genders, and that "each of us is born with a fixed biological sex that is a gift from God, not an arbitrary imposition subject to change."
Roz Gould Keith, the founder and Executive Director of Stand With Trans, said that a student asking their teachers at school to use a different name or pronouns is akin to nicknames, and has nothing to do with their education.
"I personally applaud the school for honoring the student's request, because they're providing a safe space for that particular student. And when a child spends so many hours out of their day in school, that should be the safest space they could be all day long. And you know, we have statistics, I can share with you that when youth are in school and clinical settings, when young people transgender youth are much more likely to experience depressive symptoms or depression 41% to 11.8%, and this is compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers," Keith said.
"More importantly, these youth are statistically more likely to self-harm. To attempt suicide to have suicidal thoughts, and only 1/3 of transgender youth report that their home is gender-affirming."
She said these types of requests concerning gender expression do not interfere with parents' rights.
"But we're talking specifically about a school using a child's pronouns and chosen name in the school while they're in school. And that is 100%, the right thing to do. Several years ago, the state of Michigan's Board of Ed handed down a set of guidances to all Michigan schools. It isn't law, but they provided every district with these guidances and said, Here are answers to all of your questions regarding gender, and names and pronouns and bathrooms," she said.
Spencer Hayes, who is a transgender man living in Rockford, said his heart breaks for the former student, and is against the lawsuit.
"It does break my heart because I have seen peers of mine that have gone through similar situations and the damage that it has done and the harm that it has caused them and the pain that it has caused them," said Hayes. "It takes a long time to heal from."
13 ON YOUR SIDE asked Superintendent Dr. Steve Matthews for comment after the school board meeting. He said he had no comment, but did confirm that the district has received the lawsuit and they have until the second week of February to respond.
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