Dover Middle School parent sues district for using male pronouns to refer to her child
The mother of a Dover Area Middle School student who was referred to by male pronouns and a different name by staff without her consent has filed a lawsuit against the school district, board of directors, superintendent, middle school principal and a middle school teacher.
To protect the identity of the child, the York Daily Record is not identifying the mother.
The mother is represented by attorney Andrea Shaw, in addition to Ernest Trakas, Mary Elizabeth McAlister and Vernadette Ramirez Broyles on behalf of the Child & Parental Rights Campaign in Johns Creek, Georgia.
According to the lawsuit filed in federal court on April 3, 2024, the woman's child is a survivor of childhood trauma and has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder and General Anxiety Disorder, and "affirming a discordant gender identity is antithetical to her health and well-being."
The 14-year-old was a student at Dover Area School District from 2016 to May 2023, and in 2022, the child experienced "significant anxiety and behavior issues."
Under the care of a private counselor, the child began experiencing increased stress and anxiety, and in 2022, the child disclosed to a private counselor "she thought she might be 'trans,'" according to the suit.
During the 2021-2022 school year, Shantel Williams, a Regular Education/Emotional Support Teacher at Dover Area Middle School, regularly met with the student, "affirming (the student's) request to be treated as a different sex and called by an alternate name, facilitating (the student's) gender transition," according to the suit.
The mother had not provided consent for the meetings, according to the suit.
More: Her child used transgender name, pronouns at school. Mom blasts Dover for not telling her
'No room for discussion'
In August 2022, the mother first learned the child was being affirmed as a boy at school by district staff after her son, then a student at Dover Area School District, was asked by a staff member, “How is your brother doing?"
The woman's son responded that he did not have a brother, and the teacher informed him that his sister had asked the district staff to be identified as a boy, according to the suit.
The son then revealed this conversation to his mother.
On Aug. 11, 2022, the mother sent a text message to middle school Principal Tuesday Hufnagel, saying her child was to be address as a female. "There is NO room for discussion about this matter," the complaint read.
Nearly two weeks later, the mother met with Hufnagel and other district personnel, where it was confirmed that during the 2021-2022 school year district staff had in fact affirmed the student as a boy and used a different name and male pronouns.
Mother seeks damages for violation of parental rights
The mother is seeking nominal and compensatory damages for alleged violations of her multiple civil rights, including the "fundamental parental rights to direct the upbringing, physical and mental health decision-making for her children," her "fundamental right to familial privacy," and her "fundamental right to free exercise of religion under the United States and Pennsylvania constitutions."
Brad Perkins, Dover's director of public safety, public relations and child accounting, said the district could not comment on the matter, as the suit is still ongoing.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Dover PA mother takes legal action against district for pronoun usage
