PORTLAND, Maine — The case that a lady from Maine filed, in which she accused school administrators of supporting her teen’s gender expression by supplying a chest binder and using a new name and pronouns without consulting her, has been dismissed. The woman is appealing the decision to dismiss the complaint.
On Monday, Amber Lavigne submitted her notice of appeal to the 1st United States Circuit Court of Appeals. This comes many weeks after a federal judge in Maine decided that she did not demonstrate any legal claims for which the school system could be held accountable.
It was argued in the lawsuit that the mother had a “right to control and direct the care, custody, education, upbringing, and healthcare decisions of her children,” and that Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta had violated her constitutional right by concealing the student’s gender expression from the parents. The lawsuit was filed in the previous year.
Despite the fact that Lavigne has since started home-schooling her adolescent child, she claims that school officials advised her child, who was 13 years old at the time, not to notify her parents about the breast binder, as well as the new name and pronoun combinations.
When a minor confides in a mental health expert, they have the right to privacy. However, parents have the right to supervise their children’s health and education. This lawsuit is the latest attempt to evaluate the rights of both parties.
