A Maryland school district is facing a lawsuit from parents who allege that school officials concealed their daughter's social gender transition and cited district policy to justify not informing them. The lawsuit, led by America First Legal (AFL) on behalf of anonymous parents identified as John and Jane Doe, claims that the policies of Anne Arundel County Public Schools violate their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, along with similar provisions of the Maryland Constitution. The lawsuit was filed on July 9, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
The lawsuit is part of a broader trend of legal challenges against school districts that allow staff to withhold information about a student's gender identity from parents. This case follows the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta, which AFL argues reinforced parental rights regarding decisions involving their children. Ian Prior, a senior advisor at AFL, stated that the district ignored this precedent.
Prior claimed that the school system referred to the plaintiffs' daughter by a male name without their consent and did not inform them of this change. He stated that when the parents expressed their disapproval, the school responded that it was required by law to use the preferred name. The complaint indicates that the issue began in December 2025 when a teacher mistakenly emailed the parents using a male name for their daughter, later claiming it was sent to the wrong recipient. The teacher eventually admitted the explanation was false and acknowledged the student's request to be called by a male name.
The parents requested that the school use their daughter's legal name and sought records related to the school's actions, but the administrators allegedly refused, citing district policies that require staff to honor students' preferred names and pronouns while keeping information about their gender identity confidential.
The lawsuit also mentions that another teacher used the same male name in an email about a field trip, and when questioned, initially provided a false explanation before admitting the name referred to the plaintiffs' daughter. Prior expressed concern that litigation was necessary to ensure schools adhere to constitutional rights regarding parental notification and consent in matters of gender identity.
This case is one of several lawsuits filed by AFL challenging school policies on student gender identity. Recently, AFL filed a separate lawsuit against Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, alleging similar violations of parental rights. The litigation is part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to contest school policies related to parental notification and gender identity. The U.S. Department of Education has found that California's policies may violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) by pressuring school officials to conceal information about students' gender identity from parents. Anne Arundel County Public Schools has declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.