America First Legal (AFL) has filed a lawsuit against Anne Arundel County Public Schools, alleging the district's policies allowed school officials to facilitate a student's social gender transition without notifying or obtaining consent from the child's parents. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of anonymous parents identified as John and Jane Doe, contends that the school district's actions violate the parents' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, as well as similar provisions of the Maryland Constitution.
The legal challenge is part of a broader trend of lawsuits targeting school districts with policies that permit staff to withhold information about a student's gender identity from parents. The case follows the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta, which America First Legal states affirmed parents' constitutional rights in decisions concerning their children.
According to the complaint, the issue surfaced in December 2025 when a teacher inadvertently emailed the parents using a male name for their daughter. The teacher initially attempted to recall the message and claimed it was sent to the wrong recipient, but later admitted the explanation was false and acknowledged the student had requested to be called by a male name. When the parents subsequently instructed school officials to use only their daughter's legal name and requested related records, administrators reportedly refused, citing district policies that mandate staff to honor a student's preferred name and pronouns while at school and keep gender identity information confidential from parents.
Ian Prior, senior advisor at America First Legal and counsel for the plaintiffs, stated that the school system referred to the student by a male name and assumed a male identity without parental approval or notification. "They said this is not going to happen anymore, we deny consent, and the school said, 'Well, too bad, that's the law,'" Prior told Fox News Digital. "Unfortunately, for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, that is not the law."
He asserted that the Supreme Court's ruling in Mirabelli clarified that parents possess a fundamental right to raise their children and that schools cannot support a child's social transition without parental notice and consent.
The lawsuit cites another instance months later where a different teacher allegedly used the same male name in an email concerning a field trip. The teacher, when questioned by the parents, initially provided a false explanation before admitting the name referred to their daughter.
This lawsuit against Anne Arundel County Public Schools is one of several similar cases initiated by America First Legal. On June 22, 2025, the organization filed a federal lawsuit against Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, alleging that its policies similarly allow school staff to socially transition students, including the use of different names and pronouns, without parental notification under certain circumstances. AFL is also pursuing comparable cases in Pennsylvania and before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California.
The litigation occurs amidst a wider effort by conservative groups to challenge school policies on parental notification and student gender identity. Previously, the U.S. Department of Education determined that the California Department of Education was in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for policies that allegedly pressure school officials to conceal information about students' gender identity from parents. Legal challenges related to this matter are ongoing.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools declined to comment on the litigation.