WILL, ADF Warn Kettle Moraine School District Gender Identity Policy Violates Parental Rights

The Wisconsin Institute of law and liberty:

Background: A fundamental and long-recognized “inherent right” protected by the Wisconsin (and United States) Constitution is the right of parents to “direct the upbringing and education of children under their control.” This means parents are the primary decision-makers with respect to their minor children—not their school, or even the children themselves.


But the Kettle Moraine School District has adopted a policy that disregards parents’ decision about how their children will be addressed at school. This policy violates parents’ constitutional rights.
This past school year, a couple’s daughter began to experience gender dysphoria and considered adopting a male identity. The family immediately sought professional and medical support for their daughter, but based on extensive research they also knew that immediately transitioning would not be in her best interest. The parents communicated their desire for the school and staff to refer to their daughter using her legal name and associated pronouns, yet the Kettle Moraine School District refused to honor their request, forcing them to withdraw their daughter from school.


After withdrawing her from school and following through on counseling, their daughter realized her parents were right and has re-embraced her birth name and her nature as a girl. She is now enrolled in a different school district.