Mother sued her school for being too supportive of trans kids. It didn’t work out for her.

An anti-trans mother in Maine, who had filed a lawsuit against her child’s school district for not informing her of her child’s social transition, had her lawsuit dismissed by a federal judge. The school district’s policy actually favors outing trans kids to their parents, which the judge said made it impossible to show that the district was liable.

The mother, Amber Lavigne, filed a lawsuit in April of last year against the school for allegedly violating her rights as a parent. She said that she found a chest binder in her 13-year-old child’s room and that her child said they got it from a social worker at school. Lavigne said administrators did not inform her that her child was given a chest binder and that they were going by a different name and pronouns at school.

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She met with school employees who said that their policy on transgender students is in line with state law. She sued, saying the school had a policy “of intentionally withholding and concealing certain information from parents” that was unconstitutional, but the evidence didn’t show that that was the policy, according to the judge.

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According to the recently retired Chief U.S. District Judge Jon Levy, none of the claims cited within the lawsuit indicated that the school violated any laws.

“It is understandable that a parent, such as Lavigne, might expect school officials to keep her informed about how her child is navigating matters related to gender identity at school,” said Levy in the ruling.

“Her Complaint, however, fails to plead facts which would, if proven, establish municipal liability… based on an unwritten custom, ratification by a final policymaker, or failure to train.”

The guidelines imposed by the district allow for parents to learn of their child’s gender identity, and they oppose keeping secrets. Lavigne reportedly only identified a single instance of this being violated – not enough to hold the school liable, Levy says.

Lavigne is represented by attorneys from the conservative Goldwater Institute. They have taken similar cases from across the country, each which opposes trans students get help from schools with transitioning.

It is common for young people to not want to tell their parents about being LGBTQ+ for fear of homophobic or transphobic retribution, and transgender youth are overrepresented among homeless and foster youth. This can lead to them going to their immediate next place of support from adults – their schools.

“When young people have a trusted adult in their life, especially at school, they’re going to do better at school,” said Equality Maine Executive Director Gia Drew to News Center Maine.

“So, how do we prepare young people for those potentially challenging conversations with family members so young people don’t feel alone in that process, either?”

Attorneys with the Goldwater Institute are looking into the next steps for handling this case, although it is unclear if this will mean an appeal.

“While we are disappointed in the court’s ruling, we remain undeterred in our defense of the rights of parents and children against the efforts of school officials to undermine fundamental constitutional principles,” said Joe Seyton, a spokesperson for the firm.

The school’s district attorney said in a statement, “We are pleased that, after the School District’s first opportunity to respond to the Plaintiff’s lawsuit in court, the Court determined that there was no claim here.”

Lavigne now homeschools her kids.

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