Supreme Court decides not to intervene in Wisconsin school trans policy case

The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decided Monday not to intervene in a case involving a group of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, parents who sued their children's school district over a policy supporting transgender students. The Court chose to leave the two rulings to the lower courts that dismissed the cases.

SCOTUS declined to grant relief to the parents, who had seen lower courts uphold the school district's policy supporting transgender students.

At the center of the controversy is a group of parents who disagree with the educational policy allowing students to use different names and pronouns at school without their family's consent.

The policy, adopted by the Eau Claire school district in 2021, encourages staff to work with transgender students to develop a plan that promotes “inclusive and welcoming environments free from discrimination, harassment, and bullying,” according to a copy of the document made public through the lawsuit.

The courts believe the parents involved in the lawsuit lack standing to challenge the policy, as none of them have a transgender child. The plaintiffs argue that the schools' actions exclude them from their children's education, particularly if the students are undergoing a gender transition, without their knowledge, but not medical intervention.

The challenged policy specifically encourages school personnel to keep parents in ignorance about their children's "identities," especially if the school believes that parents would not support what the school deems appropriate.

Despite this, the Supreme Court justices found the case lacked merit. “They are simply taking the school district at its word,” they wrote.