The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to revive a Florida lawsuit that challenged a school’s decision to respect a transgender student’s name and pronouns without notifying parents. The case, Littlejohn v. School Board of Leon County, centered on a Tallahassee middle school student who, at age 13, asked school staff to use a different name and they/them pronouns. School officials followed district guidance, creating a support plan that affirmed the student at school without immediate parental notification.
Florida-based parents, January and Jeffrey Littlejohn, sued the School Board, calling it a secret gender transition plan and arguing the school violated their constitutional rights. Their petition claimed the district had secretly driven a wedge into the parent-child relationship and unlawfully usurped the parents’ role. Lower courts sided with the school district. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, and the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision, stating the school’s actions did not constitute a constitutional violation or shock the conscience.
The court emphasized officials sought to support the student, not harm the family. The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear this case follows a similar decision last week involving a Massachusetts dispute over student privacy. Together, the decisions suggest the Court is not currently inclined to impose a nationwide rule requiring schools to disclose students’ gender identity to parents. The ruling comes amid a political debate in Republican-led states, including Florida, where parental notification policies and restrictions on transgender students remain central issues.
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