Conservatives Decry Madison School District’s Gender Identity Policy

A conservative law group is challenging a Madison School District policy that prohibits school staff from telling parents if their child is transitioning genders at school, unless they have that student’s permission.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports the guidance document went into effect last school year.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty is asking that it be repealed. The group’s president, Rick Esenberg, said the policy instructs employees to deceive students’ families.

Sherie Hohs oversees the district’s LGBTQ+ student support services. Hohs said outing students to families who may not accept their transition could have “devastating effects on their safety.”

She said about 4 percent of Madison school students identified in a 2018 survey as transgender or non-binary, or they rejected static gender identities altogether.