A parental rights group filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday accusing a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York</a> school district of establishing “speech codes” that violate the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/first-amendment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Amendment</a> rights of conservative students, according to documents first shared with The Daily Wire.
The suit was filed by Parents Defending Education against Croton-Harmon Union Free School District north of New York City over its harassment and discrimination policies. It argues that the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of students have been violated by the policies, which include requirements for students to use the “preferred pronouns&#8221; of others.
“The District has adopted multiple ‘harassment’ policies that prohibit a broad swath of controversial speech at the heart of the First Amendment,” the <a href="https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1_Complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> says. “In so doing, the District unconstitutionally discriminates based on viewpoint, requires a student to affirm another student’s gender identity when inconsistent with that student’s sex, prohibits a substantial amount of protected speech, and uses vague terms that an average student cannot understand.”
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The suit is asking for the judge to rule that the <a href="https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/PDEvCHExhibits.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">district policies</a> 0110, 0110-R, 0115, 0115-R, 0115-E, 5300, 4526, and 4526-R are unconstitutional. These policies “punish students for their speech and compel them to mouth support for the District’s preferred views at all times of day, whether at school or not,” according to the suit.
In the suit, Parents Defending Education noted that its members included multiple parents who had students in the district who felt like their ability to speak freely had been restricted.
The challenged policies describe discrimination as including “restrictions on the use of names or pronouns,” and include an acceptable use policy for electronics about the sending of “hate mail.” Additionally, the policies restrict speech determined to be “offensive,” “disparaging,” “degrading,” “derogatory,” &#8220;intimidating,” or “demeaning.”
According to Parents Defending Education, the policies are overly broad and allow students to be punished for their conservative opinions.
“Speech codes punish students for unpopular speech labeled as ‘harassment,’ ‘bullying,’ ‘hate speech,’ or ‘incivility’ — categories so broad that school officials can use them to ban speech based on one’s firmly held views including religious views, or to compel speech contrary to those views,” the suit says. “When these policies impose vague, overbroad, or viewpoint-based restrictions on speech, they are unconstitutional.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Parents Defending Education has been active across the country in efforts to push for accountability and transparency at public schools.
“Over the past century, the Supreme Court has made abundantly clear that students have robust First Amendment rights – and that education officials may not trample on these rights at their pleasure,” Parents Defending Education President Nicole Neily said in a statement to The Daily Wire. “Silencing unpopular viewpoints and compelling the speech of students in a public school system is fundamentally un-American.”
Croton-Harmon Union Free School District did not respond to a request for comment.

Transgender Symbol and Pencils With The Color of Lgbt Flag

EXCLUSIVE: Parents Group Challenges New York School District Over ‘Speech Codes’ On Pronouns

Education

First Amendment

Free Speech

Gender Pronouns

New York

Parents rights

U.S.

A woke <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/illinois" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Illinois</a> math and science boarding academy makes teachers meet with an “equity” coach over “lack of inclusion” and “incorrect pronoun usage,” according to emails obtained by The Daily Wire.
Teachers at the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/math-and-science-academy-provides-personalized-gender-transition-support-to-students" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Illinois Math and Science Academy</a> (IMSA), a public boarding school in Aurora for grades 10-12, are told to meet with an “Equity Instruction Coach” if they are found to have violated school DEI policies, according to emails obtained by Parents Defending Education (PDE) and shared with The Daily Wire.
The emails show a school culture where teachers are expected to undergo a plethora of DEI-related trainings and an extensive process for faculty and community members to report alleged instances of bias. In one instance, a teacher was ordered to undergo a “coaching” session with the equity coach over pronoun use.
“It has been determined that there is no evidence of bias, but rather a lack of inclusion,” IMSA’s DEI Officer Adrienne Coleman wrote to the teacher in September 2023. “In this instance, while you were proactive in collecting students names and pronouns, IMSA students still felt uncomfortable and unsafe due to incorrect pronoun usage.”
The teacher was then told to prepare to “engage in a coaching session around gender and sexuality, as well as appropriate use of pronouns,” with an “Equity Instructional Coach.”
&#8220;The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) is committed to maintaining a learning environment that is inclusive and supportive of all students, regardless of an individual’s race, sex, age, color, national origin, religion, disability or physical or mental ability, veteran’s status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ancestry, and/or other characteristics protected by applicable law,&#8221; IMSA told The Daily Wire. &#8220;The goal of coaching conversations and educational conversations in gender bias is to raise awareness and promote understanding and empathy.&#8221;
Other emails obtained by PDE show a number of supposed bias incidents being investigated, including an allegation from the school’s equity coach against a member of a committee reevaluating school policies through an “equity” lens. According to PDE, the school’s equity coach said that the incident made him question how the committee was selected, suggesting that white males and Christians shouldn’t be involved.
The equity coach said the incident “has made me question how individuals were chosen for the committee, considering the purpose of the work and how policies are inherently geared toward privileged individuals (white, straight, cis, able-bodied, men who are middle class and Christian) and, in reviewing for equity, should be evaluated by those who are not privileged,” the email said.
<div id="attachment_734799" style="width: 892px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-734799" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-734799 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-08-at-2.06.15-PM-882x576.png" alt="" width="882" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-08-at-2.06.15-PM-882x576.png 882w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-08-at-2.06.15-PM-300x196.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-08-at-2.06.15-PM-768x502.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-08-at-2.06.15-PM-1536x1003.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/05/Screen-Shot-2024-05-08-at-2.06.15-PM.png 2004w" sizes="(max-width: 882px) 100vw, 882px" />IMSA bias report form.</div>
“These systems have no place in K-12 schools and are antithetical to a healthy educational environment,&#8221; Rhyen Staley, a researcher for PDE, told The Daily Wire. &#8220;It is deeply concerning to see a system in place that promotes reporting fellow students and staff for facial expressions and thought crimes. It is a tragedy that students are subjected to such draconian measures in the name of ‘safety’ and ‘equity.’”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1714657703188000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0-8IzS3B7axoRMsynY0m75">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
The public information request from PDE also obtained a bias report that had been filed in 2022 by Coleman, who has been with the school for 16 years. In it, Coleman said that she was offended by evaluations referring to black staff members as “incompetent” and by having to “constantly” defend DEI programs at the school, among other allegations.
“This is exhausting and sometimes traumatic! Walk a mile in my shoes, have a conversation with me, do not judge me, erase the stereotypical perspectives that you have of me, get to know me, see my ‘Blackness,’ and understand that it is the most important part of my identity!” she wrote.
It is unclear how the complaint, filed in October 2022, was resolved, though The Daily Wire reached out to IMSA for comment.
Previous Daily Wire reports on IMSA have focused on the school&#8217;s policies for staff to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/math-and-science-academy-provides-personalized-gender-transition-support-to-students" target="_blank" rel="noopener">create</a> “personalized” gender “support” plans for students who identify as transgender and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illinois-math-and-science-academy-hosts-race-based-retreats-exclusively-for-black-and-latinx-students" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosting</a> of a race-based retreat open only to black and “Latinx” students.

Teachers Put Through ‘Coaching’ Sessions On Gender And Sexuality At Woke Illinois Math Academy

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Equity

Illinois

Wokeness

The game show “Jeopardy!,” in which gives contestants must give answers in the form of a question, embraced the woke agenda by including so-called “neo-pronouns” as an answer.
The $600 selection in the category titled “Parts of Speech” offered the words “Xem, Xyrs, Xemself.”
The incumbent champion offered the question, “What are pronouns.”
Host Ken Jennings stated, “Those are pronouns. Neo-pronouns.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Jeopardy asked about xem/xyrs/xemself &quot;pronouns&quot; during last night&#39;s show
How would you answer this? <a href="https://t.co/dAjSLu3lRz">pic.twitter.com/dAjSLu3lRz</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1762588015736565980?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In September 2022, Jennings <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/misogynist-bigot-jeopardy-host-slammed-after-letting-man-correct-answer-but-not-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was slammed</a> by critics after they felt he favored a male competitor over a female one.
Incumbent champion Luigi de Guzman was competing against contestant and retired lawyer Harriet Wagner. When Guzman was asked to identify a “19th-century landscape by this British painter,” he responded, “Constant.”
Jennings prompted, “Say it again” and de Guzman immediately corrected himself. “I’m sorry. Constable. Who is Constable.”
“Constable is correct, yes. That takes you to $6,200,” Jennings responded.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1709146674060000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1Np8ok9vPUZh8gCjRTGxPQ">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
But later in the show, the answer given by the board was “Mythcon 19 in 1988 had as a guest of honor this ‘Always Coming Home’ fantasy author and was held in Berkeley, her birthplace.”
“Who is Angela Le Guin,” Wagner answered, prompting Jennings to react, “No,” before Wagner immediately corrected herself: “Ursula Le Guin.”
After de Guzman then gave the correct answer, Jennings turned to Wagner, explaining, “Yes, Harriet, you remembered that her name was Ursula but I had already begun ruling against you when you corrected yourself.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;Jeopardy!&quot; host Ken Jennings allowed a contestant to change his answer, but later denied a second contestant from doing the same. <a href="https://t.co/LwWqbMdjwY">https://t.co/LwWqbMdjwY</a> <a href="https://t.co/RJX8ZLGJkR">pic.twitter.com/RJX8ZLGJkR</a>
&mdash; CNN (@CNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1570585805260816384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In November 2022, contestant Amy Schneider, a biological man who identifies as a woman, won the $250,000 prize on “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jeopardy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeopardy!: Tournament of Champions</a>.”
“I feel amazing,” Schneider said after winning. “Earlier in the finals, I had this sudden moment of seeing myself and being like, ‘I’m on stage in the Tournament of Champions finals,’ and that was crazy. And I won! It’s a great feeling.”
The “Jeopardy!: Tournament of Champions” began at the end of October 2022. It featured 21 contestants who won at least four games since the 2020 tournament along with winners of the National College Championship, the Professors Tournament, and the game show&#8217;s first Second Chance faceoff, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/amy-schneider-wins-jeopardy-tournament-champions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Larissa Kelly, the woman who held the record for the most Jeopardy wins, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trans-jeopardy-contestant-amy-schneider-ends-winning-streak-on-this-question" target="_blank" rel="noopener">congratulated</a> Schneider after Schneider passed that number, referring to Schneider as a woman. She tweeted, “Well, it was fun to hold a Jeopardy record for a few years … but it’s been even more fun to watch @Jeopardamy set new standards for excellence, on the show and off. Congratulations to Amy on becoming the woman with the highest overall earnings in the show’s history!”
Schneider responded to critics by tweeting, “I’d like to thank all the people who have taken the time, during this busy holiday season, to reach out and explain to me that, actually, I’m a man. Every single one of you is the first person ever to make that very clever point, which had never once before crossed my mind.”
Amanda Harding contributed to this article.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trans-jeopardy-contestant-amy-schneider-ends-winning-streak-on-this-question">Trans ‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Amy Schneider Ends Winning Streak On This Question</a>

Ken Jennings’ Streak On Jeopardy Comes To An End

‘Jeopardy!’ Embraces Woke Agenda With ‘Neo-Pronouns’

Jeopardy

Democrats in the Virginia state Senate derailed a hearing on Monday after the state’s lieutenant governor absentmindedly responded “yes sir” to an inquiry from deep-voiced Sen. Danica Roem, a man who believes he is a woman.
“Madam president, how many votes would it take to pass this bill with the emergency clause?” Roem asked Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, a Republican, about a mundane bill that was being voted on.
“That would be four-fifths,” replied Sears, who as lieutenant governor presides over the Senate.
“And what would be the exact number for that madam president?” Roem added.
“Yes, sir, that would be 32,” Sears said as she looked through papers. “Those in favor of that motion shall record their votes aye,” she said, calling the vote.
Roem stormed out and missed the vote. A shout could be heard as he was leaving, though it wasn’t clear who made the sound or what it said.
After the vote, Sears recognized Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-dems-could-lose-control-of-state-senate-because-one-of-its-members-may-have-lied-about-her-residence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ghazala Hashmi</a>, whose turn it was to describe the next bill. But Hashmi would not speak. Several Democrat senators began leaving the room. Sen. Scott Surovell then said, “I think I’d ask that we take a recess for five minutes.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Sears calls trans Sen. Danica Roem ‘sir’ and Roem storms out of the chamber
“I’m not here to upset anyone. I am here to do the job the people of VA have called me to do,” said Lt. Gov. Sears. <a href="https://t.co/QUshPogqDJ">pic.twitter.com/QUshPogqDJ</a>
&mdash; Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1762248338252931346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Seven minutes later, the body reconvened, and Sears said, “The chair again recognizes Sen. Hashmi, the senator from Chesterfield.” Hashmi again refused to speak, and Sears put the Senate back in recess.
Three minutes later, the hearing resumed, and Sears appeared irritated but measured.
“I said something that upset Sen. Roem. Let it be known I am not here to upset anyone. I am here to do the job that the people of Virginia have called me to do and that is to treat everyone with respect and dignity. I myself have at times not been afforded that same respect and dignity, but in this body and as long as I am president of the Senate and by the grace of God, I will be treated with respect and dignity and I will treat everyone else with respect and dignity.”
She said she frequently calls people by the wrong names, noting that she had just mistakenly put “the House” into recess instead of the Senate. “I apologize. And I would hope that everyone would understand there is no intent to offend.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Hashmi finally discussed the bill.
The Democratic Party of Virginia refused to accept Sears&#8217; apology, writing on X, &#8220;We will not forget this smear.&#8221;
Earlier this month, Hashmi’s education committee <a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+vot+S04V0110+SB0037" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killed</a> Sage’s Law, a bill passed by the House of Delegates last session that would prevent schools from hiding a child’s gender transition from their parents. It is named after Sage, a girl who was trafficked from rural Virginia to Baltimore and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mother-of-sex-trafficked-teen-files-lawsuit-after-girl-was-held-in-boys-group-home-to-affirm-her-trans-identity">raped by a registered sex offender</a> after going through trouble at school that her parents knew nothing about, and after school staff allegedly repeatedly encouraged her to transition. After the FBI rescued her from the sex trafficker, Baltimore placed her into a group home full of Baltimore&#8217;s roughest male youths. After her mother rescued her, she later said she was not actually transgender.

Sen. Danica Roem / Virginia Senate

Virginia Democrats Derail Hearing After Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears Says ‘Yes, Sir’ To Transgender Senator

Politics

Pronouns

Social Issues

Transgender

Virginia

Winsome Sears

On Thursday, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that a high school teacher who was fired for refusing to use pronouns that didn’t match a student’s biological sex could have his lawsuit against the local school board reinstated.
Peter Vlaming taught French in the West Point School District for seven years. A female student claiming to be male had a new preferred name. Vlaming used the new preferred name but simply avoided using the student’s preferred pronouns. The school demanded he use the student’s preferred pronouns, even when the student was not present.
“Peter went out of his way to accommodate this student as he does all his students; his school fired him because he wouldn’t contradict his core beliefs,” Caleb Dalton of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) <a href="https://adfmedia.org/press-release/va-teacher-fired-declining-refer-female-student-male-pronouns-files-suit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">had noted</a>. “The school board didn’t care how well Peter treated this student. It was on a crusade to compel conformity. He works hard to make his students feel welcomed. In his French class, he always calls his students by the name they choose. He even used the student’s preferred masculine name and was willing to avoid using pronouns in the student’s presence. He just didn’t want to be forced to use a pronoun that offends his conscience. That’s entirely reasonable, and it’s his constitutionally protected right. Tolerance, after all, is a two-way street.”
“Peter wasn’t fired for something he said; he was fired for something he couldn’t say,” Chris Schandevel of ADF <a href="https://adfmedia.org/case/vlaming-v-west-point-school-board" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a> after the lawsuit was reinstated. “The Virginia Supreme Court rightly agreed that Peter’s case against the school board for violating his rights under the Virginia Constitution and state law should proceed. As a teacher, Peter was passionate about the subject he taught, was well-liked by his students, and did his best to accommodate their needs and requests. But he couldn’t in good conscience speak messages that he doesn’t believe to be true, and no school board or government official can punish someone for that reason.”
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1702657051698000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2kYpdju3xU2wzybZVUIUSn">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
The Virginia Supreme Court agreed that the Virginia Constitution “seeks to protect diversity of thought, diversity of speech, diversity of religion, and diversity of opinion,” adding, “Absent a truly compelling reason for doing so, no government committed to these principles can lawfully coerce its citizens into pledging verbal allegiance to ideological views that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.”
“The West Point School Board violated that constitutional command when it tried to force Vlaming to endorse the school’s ideological viewpoints on gender identity,” Schandevel stated. “And the Virginia Supreme Court rightly vindicated Vlaming’s right to stand by his convictions in its decision.”

State Capitols Increase Security In Preparation For Weekend Protests

Virginia Supreme Court Backs Teacher Fired For Not Using Student’s Preferred Pronouns

Courts

Supreme Court

Teacher

A school district in rural <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ohio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ohio</a> mandated that new teachers learn the definition of terms like “pansexual,” and assert that they would hide information from parents about their children’s sexual orientation, according to training materials obtained by The Daily Wire. 
The training, which took place at St. Marys City Schools earlier this year, told instructors to use students “preferred pronouns” to make sure they didn’t “trivialize a student’s identity.” It also forced them to properly match so-called “gender identities” with their definitions, pushing teachers to master terms such as “questioning,” “asexual,” “same-gender loving,” “queer,” “pansexual,” “agender,” “nonbinary,” “pangender,” “transgender,” “cisgender,” and “bigender.” 
If you didn’t correctly match terms with their definition, or failed to agree with assertions such as that “school personnel do have the right to disclose a student’s sexual orientation to her/his parents,” you were not able to advance through the training. 
After the contents of the training were raised to the school by The Daily Wire, the school superintendent said it was unaware of what was included and would no longer offer it.
”I see what the training says and that’s not our philosophy, and we don’t agree with that,” Bill Ruane, the superintendent, told The Daily Wire. He said that the training had been administered by mistake as the district had switched to a new provider for state-mandated bullying training and the module given to the new hires was supposed to be on bullying, not gender ideology. 
The discarded trainings show how far-Left ideologies can creep into schools, even in the most conservative areas of the country. The area is about as conservative as it gets, with over 75% of voters in precincts surrounding the school voting for former president Donald Trump in 2020. The district is represented by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who has been invited to speak at the school and likewise said the training had no place in his home district.
“This training doesn’t represent the values of St. Marys School System and community,” Russell Dye, a spokesman for Jordan, told The Daily Wire in response for comment on the training.
Ruane said they had managed to keep radical leftist views out of the school, which <a href="https://www.limaohio.com/top-stories/2023/09/01/st-marys-schools-opts-to-arm-staff-for-emergencies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allows</a> teachers to be armed to protect students, and has always backed parental rights in education. He also said the district has supported bills that would keep males out of women’s sports and bathrooms.
He said that the training was only administered because of a switch from SafeSchools to Public School Works, both electronic systems that facilitate state-mandated health and safety training. The same kinds of trainings from SafeSchools were supposed to be transferred over to Public School Works, but Ruane said that a module called “LGBTQI+ Students” meant to be on bullying made it into the training shown to new hires. 
During one part of the training from Public School Works, teachers are told not to go to parents with information about their children’s “sexual orientation.”
“When an educator learns of a significant issue affecting a student, the standard response is to notify the student&#8217;s parents/guardians. However, for issues involving a student’s sexual orientation, you must carefully consider what information is appropriate to share,” the training says. 
It says that teachers should first look at district policy and that it would be “wise” to “consult with a building administrator” or a “mental-health professional” before speaking with parents. 
Elsewhere in the training, teachers were forced to mark “false,” for the statement: “Generally speaking, school personnel do have the right to disclose a student’s sexual orientation to her/his parents.”
Instead, according to the training, “Generally speaking, absent a very compelling reason to do so, school personnel do not have the right to disclose a student’s sexual orientation to anyone without her/his permission.” 
A similar question said that school faculty could not tell “anyone” about a “child’s gender identity,” but in the classroom they should do whatever a student prefers. 
“By using a child’s preferred name and pronoun (e.g. he/him, she/her, they/them, xe/xem, ze/zem, etc.) you promote their safety and well-being,” the training says. “As previously stated, LGBTQI+ terminology is continually evolving. The same holds true for pronouns. Again, remaining open-minded and respectful is the best course of action.”
Teachers are also pushed to accept the provided definitions of politically charged words like homophobia and heterosexism, which is defined as the “belief that heterosexuality is the only ‘natural’ sexuality and is superior to other sexual orientations. Heterosexism denies, ignores, denigrates and/or stigmatizes non-heterosexual forms of emotional and affectional expression and sexual behavior.”
According to the training, gender is not “the biological distinction between males and females” but “the concept of masculinity or femininity.” 
Ruane told The Daily Wire that the district has never supported any of the policies promoted by the training and said that if an employee had told him what was in the training he would have immediately pulled it. He added that trainings are normally vetted but this one slipped through because of the switch over in providers. 
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
It is unclear how many districts use Public School Works, but the Ohio-based education company encourages the celebration of “Pride” in the classroom. 
A <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20231201214259/https://corp.publicschoolworks.com/resource/school-pride/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blog post</a> from the company encourages school districts to celebrate “Pride” and set up Gay-Straight Alliance Clubs, which have been criticized by parental groups who say the clubs serve to indoctrinate students into gender ideology. The post also said districts should adopt “supportive” policies for LGBT identifying kids and teach staff how to address the “unique needs of transgender and gender diverse students.”
A catalog available <a href="https://corp.publicschoolworks.com/program/staff-compliance-training/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online</a> from one of Public School Works trainings include information on “gender transitioning, including social transitioning and medical transitioning via puberty suppressors, hormone therapy and/or gender‐aﬃrming surgeries; schools as partners in the gender‐transitioning process.”
Teachers across the country have come under fire for promoting LGBT content to children without <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dont-invite-parents-school-teacher-called-lgbt-club-bubbles-to-keep-it-from-being-identified-emails-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parental knowledge</a> and in some cases have been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/parents-win-ruling-against-wisconsin-school-district-over-pronoun-name-change-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> of secretly socially “transitioning” kids.

Close-up of a chair on a student’s desk inside a classroom in a secondary school.

Public School In Deep-Red Ohio Town Forces Teachers To Learn Definition Of ‘Pansexual’

gender ideology

Jim Jordan

Ohio

Teachers

Sources claim that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/disney-world">Disney World</a> is offering <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gender-pronouns">pronoun pins</a> to their employees. 
Multiple employees at the theme park spoke anonymously with <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2023/11/13/walt-disney-world-epcot-pronoun-pin-name-tags/">The Daily Caller</a> about a new DEI initiative that will begin with janitors who work in the Florida theme park and then roll out to other Disney employees. Photos shared by the sources showed that theme park and EPCOT employees can fill out a form with their preferred pronouns to have them added to their name pin by scanning a QR code.
“Hi everyone, we are excited to introduce pronoun name tags in our area!” the <a href="https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=qDG3VqyiMky_a2FoEOkTxo8ZQhqfGXNIiFn9s_4cvspUNVVVTVgyMTVPOVpCQ0kxUVhRQTJDOUtDTSQlQCN0PWcu&amp;origin=QRCode">form</a> says. “Pronoun name tags help us understand each other more and bring a positive impact within our community!”
The outlet noted that pronoun pins are still being used voluntarily, per their sources.
This was not the first <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/woke">gender identity-related initiative</a> introduced into Disney theme parks. In May, a video of a male employee in a dress welcoming small children into the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disneyland in California went viral, with many people expressing their outrage online. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/black-friday-gift-guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE</a>
“This is insane,” one Twitter user wrote, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disturbing-man-in-a-dress-welcoming-children-to-disneyland-princess-boutique-sparks-outrage-on-twitter">reported</a>.
“Absolutely grooming. That is a moment for little girls. Mustache has no business there,” another account agreed. 
“Disney is just an LGBT activist organization at this point,” a third commenter wrote. “Any sane company would have backed down by now. Disney keeps doubling down because it would rather engage in political activism than return value.”
Another viewer called the footage “disturbing and sick.”
In August, more images of different male Disney employees wearing dresses were shared by Libs of TikTok. “Disney has men dressed as women, wearing dresses greeting children at some of their attractions,” LOTT wrote in the X <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1695164391694487592">caption</a>. “Received both of these this week from disturbed visitors.”
Disney Parks updated its uniform policy in 2021 to allow employees, or as they’re referred to in the park, “cast members,” to wear gendered clothing of their preference regardless of their biological sex. 
“Inclusion is essential to our culture and leads us forward as we continue to realize our rich legacy of engaging storytelling, exceptional service, and Disney magic,” the statement about the policy change said in part.
This article has been revised for emphasis and clarity.

Disney pride

Disney World Theme Park Will Issue Pronoun Pins To Janitorial Staff: Report

Disney World

Florida

A court ruled against a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wisconsin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wisconsin</a> school district policy that allowed teachers and officials to address students by new names and pronouns without parental consent.
Waukesha Circuit County Court sided with two sets of parents in a Tuesday ruling against a Kettle Moraine School District policy that allowed school officials to refer to students by new names and pronouns without parental consent. The court ruled that the policy violated parental rights, saying parents should know about any changes.
“The School District could not administer medicine to a student without parental consent. The School District could not require or allow a student to participate in a sport without parental consent. Likewise, the School District cannot change the pronoun of a student without parental consent without impinging on a fundamental liberty interest of the parents,” <a href="https://adfmedialegalfiles.blob.core.windows.net/files/TF-Decision.pdf">wrote</a> Circuit Court Judge Michael Maxwell.
The case began after two sets of parents, represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and the Alliance Defending Freedom, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wisconsin-parents-sue-school-district-saying-that-educators-referred-to-their-daughter-with-male-pronouns-and-name-without-their-knowledge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued the school district</a> in November 2021 over the policy. 
One of the sets of parents said they took their 12-year-old daughter out of the Kettle Moraine school system after finding out that her teachers were referring to their daughter by a male name and using male pronouns without their knowledge. The girl ended up deciding to stop identifying as a boy. 
After protesting the matter, the parents say that the school cited its policy that said educators did not need parental consent to use a different pronoun or name than those given by the parents. 
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
“The School District abrogated the parental rights of [the parents] on how to medically treat [their child] when the district decided to socially affirm [the child] at school despite [the parents] requesting it does not. Through its policy of disregarding parental wishes on a medical or health related decision and with how fast questioning one&#8217;s gender can arise, [the parents] are at real risk of being harmed,” the court decision said. 
Lawyers for ADF and WILL celebrated the decision, saying it was a &#8220;major win for parental rights.&#8221; 
&#8220;The court confirmed that parents, not educators or school faculty, have the right to decide whether a social transition is in their own child’s best interests. The decision should be a warning to the many districts across the country with similar policies to exclude parents from gender transitions at school,” WILL deputy counsel Luke Berg <a href="https://will-law.org/will-adf-secure-groundbreaking-legal-victory-in-parental-rights-case/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.

Photo of a blue metal lockers along a nondescript hallway in a typical US High School. No identifiable information included and nobody in the hall.

Parents Win Ruling Against Wisconsin School District Over Pronoun, Name Change Policy

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Wisconsin

Judges and court staff in Michigan must use parties’ <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-supreme-court-considers-forcing-judges-to-use-preferred-pronouns-for-attorneys-litigants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preferred pronouns</a>, the state’s highest court ruled Wednesday. 
Under the new rule adopted by the Michigan Supreme Court, attorneys and litigants can list their “preferred salutations and personal pronouns” on court records that judges must abide by beginning on January 1, 2024, The Detroit News reported. The new rule was considered and debated at length before the court approved the rule by a 5-2 majority, making Michigan the first state to require judges to use parties&#8217; preferred pronouns. 
“We serve the entire public and are required to treat those who come before us with civility and respect,” <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/michigan-supreme-court-orders-judges-to-honor-pronouns-of-parties-in-court">said</a> Democrat-nominated Justice Elizabeth Welch in her concurring statement. “The gender identity of a member of the public is a part of their individual identity, regardless of whether others agree or approve.”
The new rule states, “Parties and attorneys may also include Ms., Mr., or Mx. as a preferred form of address and one of the following personal pronouns in the name section of the caption: he/him/his, she/her/hers, or they/them/theirs. Courts must use the individual’s name, the designated salutation or personal pronouns, or other respectful means that is not inconsistent with the individual’s designated salutation or personal pronouns when addressing, referring to, or identifying the party or attorney, either orally or in writing.”
When a person’s preferred pronouns create grammatical confusion or errors, Welch wrote that it requires “more intentionality (and a bit of practice) for generations that grew up learning one language rule.” 
Republican-nominated Justice David Viviano opposed the new rule change, arguing that it forces judges into “socially and politically fraught topics that have little to do with the judicial system.”
Justice Brian Zahra, who was also nominated by a Republican, wrote in a dissenting statement that he was “deeply troubled” by the decision, saying that the new rule will only divide the state. 
“This proposed rule change is much worse than a solution in search of a problem; it is a directive that will undoubtedly inflame conflict and exacerbate the social division of the people of Michigan,” Zahra wrote, adding that it will invite “abuse by litigants eager to gain any measure of control over their fight,” according to The Detroit News. 
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1695926598117000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2JMKlkoIbMtWiT_W63aMnH">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
As the rule was being considered, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-supreme-court-considers-forcing-judges-to-use-preferred-pronouns-for-attorneys-litigants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that over a dozen Michigan judges and attorneys expressed concern for what the rule’s implications would mean for free speech and religious liberty. Michigan judges and attorneys wrote to the court, speaking out about the problematic amendment. 
In an eight-page response to the proposed rule, William R. Bloomfield, general counsel for the Diocese of Lansing, said that it would be a direct violation of the First Amendment.
“In brief, requiring courts, i.e., judges, to use a person’s own designated personal pronouns is an unconstitutional violation of free speech and free exercise of religion,” he wrote, adding, “And as vital as the interest in free speech is for ordinary citizens, or groups of citizens, it is perhaps even more important for judges to be free of any compulsory speech.”
Michigan religious liberty attorney Timothy Denney told The Daily Wire in March that the rule &#8220;would violate the compelled speech principle.”
“The Michigan Supreme Court’s proposed rule to force judges to use attorney’s preferred pronouns violates the First Amendment,” Denney said. “The First Amendment prohibits government from compelling public officials to make statements contrary to their beliefs.”

Judge mallet on LGBTQ flag

Michigan Supreme Court Orders Judges To Use Preferred Pronouns Of Attorneys, Litigants

Judges

LGBTQ

Michigan

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a civil rights <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/082723.Complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> against a school district on Monday to halt its recently adopted policy that requires schools to inform parents about student gender transitions.
Bonta announced earlier this month he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-attorney-general-investigating-chino-school-district-over-gender-parental-notification-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched an investigation</a> into the Chino Valley Unified School District, which represents over 26,000 students in San Bernardino County, after district officials passed a policy in July that requires teachers to inform parents within three days if their child uses names and pronouns different from their birth certificate, or requests to use school facilities or join sports team opposite of their gender.
“Every student has the right to learn and thrive in a school environment that promotes safety, privacy, and inclusivity – regardless of their gender identity,” Bonta said in a news release.
The state’s attorney general argued the district’s “forced outing policy” discriminates against the privacy rights of LGBTQ+ students and the California Constitution.
“The forced outing policy wrongfully endangers the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of non-conforming students who lack an accepting environment in the classroom and at home,” he said. “Our message to Chino Valley Unified and all school districts in California is loud and clear: We will never stop fighting for the civil rights of LGBTQ+ students.”
Chino Valley Unified spokesperson Andi Johnston <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-08-28/california-sues-chino-school-district-transgender-notification-policy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Los Angeles Times that the district has been working with the state’s investigation of the policy and has offered “complete transparency.”
“At this time, the district is working with its legal counsel to review the lawsuit and its contents,” Johnston told the outlet.
Earlier this month, a parents-rights activists group <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-parents-protest-radical-gender-theory-related-bills-as-state-lawmakers-return-from-summer-recess" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> staged a demonstration outside the California Capitol in Sacramento, condemning so-called gender-affirming bills while promoting parental notification involving student gender policies.
Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified Board of Education, became the leading advocate for the district’s policy.
She told The Los Angeles Times that Bonta’s actions displayed “government overreach” and an “aggressive” response to the measure designed to bring transparency between schools and parents.
“We will stand our ground and protect our children with all we can because we are not breaking the law,” Shaw told the Times. “Parents have a constitutional right in the upbringing of their children, period. Bring it.”
Shaw, who became a local advocate for parental rights amid the state’s pandemic response, reportedly said that state investigators subpoenaed her emails and text messages.
“[Bonta’s] automatically trying to assume parents are dangerous, and I think that’s a dangerous, dangerous direction that they’re heading in,” Shaw told Fox News. “And you see it all over California. They’re trying to push out parents, and I think that is something that we need to stand up for right now.”
California has become a leading state in the nation, promoting several new radical gender theory-related laws expected to gain momentum in the coming weeks, including undermining parental authority, requiring state-controlled curriculum, and targeting local school boards.
The movement has sparked pushback from parents, school boards, and lawmakers statewide to condemn such policies.
Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli introduced AB 1314, which would require schools to notify parents if their child uses different pronouns or a change in identity. Essayli modeled the bill after the Chino Valley Unified School District adopted its policy that has since influenced other California school districts to adopt a similar principled action.
“We will accomplish our legislative priorities either through here or through the people directly,” Essayli said at the recent rally outside the California State Capitol in Sacramento, according to POLITICO.
Although the California State Assembly has yet to pass the bill, Essayli continues to push through every school district.

Chino Valley School District Passes Policy For Parental Rights

California Attorney General Sues School District For Requiring Schools To Notify Parents About Student Gender Transitions

California

Students

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/louisiana" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Louisiana</a> State House on Tuesday failed to override Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards&#8217; veto of a bill that would have banned teachers from using a new pronoun for students unless they get permission from parents.
The House <a href="https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?i=243924" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> 67-29 on HB 81, three votes short of the two-thirds threshold required to override the governor&#8217;s veto.
Every Democrat voted against the bill <a href="https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1334282" target="_blank" rel="noopener">along with</a> two Republicans, Representatives Barbara Freiberg and Stephanie Hilferty.
One Republican member reportedly flew back from vacation in France to make the session, while another Republican was also vacationing in Europe, but did not fly back, and yet another Republican was out of town for a family medical situation, <a href="https://twitter.com/rjamesfinn/status/1681318110891216902" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to local reporter James Finn.
The pronoun <a href="https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1330743" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bill</a> would have required school employees to use the name on a student&#8217;s birth certificate or a derivative of that name unless the student&#8217;s parent provides written permission to do otherwise.
Under the bill, schools also would have been banned from requiring school employees to use pronouns other than the ones that match the sex on someone&#8217;s birth certificate if doing so would violate the employee&#8217;s sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions.
Edwards vetoed the bill at the end of June along with two other bills that dealt with gender identity.
One of the other bills, the Stop Harming Our Kids Act, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4077103-louisiana-gender-affirming-care-ban-vetoed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bans</a> puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender surgeries for minors in Louisiana. Both chambers of the Louisiana legislature voted Tuesday to override the governor&#8217;s veto of that bill, meaning the legislation will go into effect.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-7029">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
The other bill the governor vetoed last month would have blocked teachers from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation in the state&#8217;s public school classrooms. That bill also <a href="https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?i=244422" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed</a> the override vote on Tuesday by just two votes.
&#8220;This bill unfairly places vulnerable children at the front lines of a vicious culture war,&#8221; Edwards <a href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/2023Vetoes/HB466.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in his veto message on the classroom content bill, adding that it could result in &#8220;sanctioned bullying of LGBTQ children in schools under the guise of religious freedom.&#8221;
Last year, about 300,000 American teens 13 to 17 <a href="https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Trans-Pop-Update-Jun-2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">identified</a> as transgender, a sharp increase over the previous few years. From 2017 to 2021, gender dysphoria diagnoses in children nearly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-data/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tripled</a>.
In the past few years, parents and teachers have clashed with schools about policies around trans-identifying students.
In 2017, an Indiana teacher <a href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-teacher-lawsuit-transgender-student-names-883b50e19088614d71df25f0f835ed08" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was fired</a> after he objected to using trans-identifying students&#8217; new names and pronouns. Last year, a Virginia teacher was <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/virginia-teacher-fired-refusing-students-preferred-pronouns-speaks-out-blacklisted" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fired</a> for refusing to use a trans-identifying student&#8217;s new pronouns.
In several states, parents have <a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-lawsuit-school-maine-8003272a6c8b1111010ba42bea2ceb8e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sued</a> their <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/parents-reportedly-suing-school-district-allegedly-secretly-helped-transitioned-child" target="_blank" rel="noopener">children&#8217;s</a> school districts, claiming school personnel encouraged their children to change their gender identity behind their parents&#8217; backs.
In Louisiana itself, teacher Jonathan Koeppel said in 2021 that he was fired after he objected to the schools in his New Orleans-area district teaching gender ideology, as well as Critical Race Theory.
“I started noticing kids talking about political topics that were being brought up in other classes by their teachers, and realized that someone had to get this conversation started,” Koeppel <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/08/30/teacher-fired-after-speaking-against-gender-identity-critical-race-theory-and-mask-mandates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at the time. “I just happened to be that someone.”

US-POLITICS-SOCIETY-HOLIDAY-LGBTQ+-DEMONSTRATION

Louisiana House Fails To Override Governor’s Veto Of Gender Identity Parental Permission Bill

Louisiana House Fails To Override Governor's Veto Of Gender Identity Parental Permission Bill

Gender

Louisiana

The University of Cincinnati reportedly <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/08/university-rescinds-reprimand-for-professor-who-failed-student-for-using-term-biological-woman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pulled back</a> on a reprimand for a gender studies professor who had failed a student over her use of the term &#8220;biological woman&#8221; in a project proposal.
Professor Melanie Nipper <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/professor-ordered-to-complete-free-speech-training-after-failing-student-for-using-biological-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed</a> student Olivia Krolczyk’s assignment — a proposal for a final project in her Gender in Popular Culture class — after which Ashley Currier, the head of the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies reprimanded Nipper and ordered her to attend free speech training.
&#8220;To prevent any further violation of [the free speech] policy, you must complete training on the requirements of the Campus Free Speech Policy. Through the end of Academic Year 2024/2025, you must submit all syllabi to … me at least two weeks prior to the beginning of classes for review and approval,&#8221; the reprimand read in part, and reminded Nipper that further violations of university policy could result in her losing her position.
Nipper appealed the decision, however, saying that any &#8220;restriction on harmful speech&#8221; was &#8220;necessary to ensure a safe learning environment&#8221; and that &#8220;the topic itself was inappropriate as it targeted trans women as a source of oppression for cis women in sports.&#8221;
&#8220;Additionally, as the class has students that identify as gender non-conforming and/or trans, I felt it was necessary to educate her regarding inclusive language to ensure a safe learning environment for other students,&#8221; Nipper added.
After a meeting between Nipper and university administrators, the school determined that the reprimand had been &#8220;issued in error&#8221; and would be removed from the professor&#8217;s personnel file. She will still be required to attend the free speech training and submit syllabi to the head of her department for review.
&#8220;UC is affirming that professors will have no consequences for failing students with dissenting opinions,&#8221; Krolczyk said in a statement after learning that the school had chosen to rescind the reprimand. &#8220;They will not uphold a student’s rights to free speech and will take no action to ensure that the educators hired are acting in a professional manner.&#8221;

Pronouns/Getty Images

College Scrubs Reprimand For Prof Who Failed Student Over The Phrase ‘Biological Female’

College Scrubs Reprimand For Prof Who Failed Student Over The Phrase 'Biological Female'

College

Menu