Iowa school district settles lawsuit with pro-parent group over transgender policy

An Iowa school board has agreed to pay $20,000 to resolve a lawsuit over a district policy enabling students to transition genders at school without parental notification or permission.

Parents Defending Education, a conservative nonprofit parent organization, filed a complaint against Linn-Mar Community School District on Aug. 2, 2022, on behalf of seven anonymous parents.

The lawsuit alleged the school district violated parents’ First and Fourteenth Amendment rights by implementing a policy effectively keeping them in the dark.

The policy, adopted in April 2022, allowed students to request a gender support plan to begin socially transitioning at school without parents’ knowledge, according to CBS News.

In addition, the now-rescinded policy allowed students access to restrooms, locker rooms and changing areas that corresponded with their gender identity. 

The $20,000 settlement was announced by the district Tuesday. 

“Earlier this week, the Linn-Mar School Board approved a settlement to resolve a lawsuit brought in August 2022 challenging Board Policy no. 504.13-R,” the district stated. “In March 2023, the board voluntarily rescinded Policy n0.504.13-R due to uncertainty in the legislature and the courts.” 

The district’s insurance is set to pay the $20,000, and no district funds will be used in the settlement, the district says. 

Districts in Iowa can no longer adopt such a policy legally, as a new state law prohibits districts from knowingly giving “false or misleading information to the parent or guardian of a student’s gender identity or intention to transition to a gender that is different than the sex listed on a student’s official birth certificate or certificate issued upon adoption if the certificate was issued at or near the time of the student’s birth.”