4 minPolitics
House committee demands Chicago Public Schools answer on gender transition secrecy
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce is pressing Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Macquline King over policies that may keep students' gender transitions hidden from parents, citing a Supreme Court ruling on parental rights.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce is demanding that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Superintendent and CEO Macquline King respond to concerns that district policies allow schools to withhold information about students' gender transitions from their parents. Committee Chair Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., sent a letter to King following her testimony at a June 10 hearing titled «Breaking Trust: Attacks on Parental Rights, Inappropriate Content, and Legal Abuses in America’s Schools.»
In the letter, Walberg pointed to an exchange during the hearing in which Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., asked King about CPS’s practice of «socially transitioning children without parental knowledge or consent.» King responded, «We do not hide information from parents.» Walberg wrote that several of CPS’s policies and resources suggest otherwise, citing the district’s interim guidelines and a «Gender Diversity Toolkit» that prohibit staff members from disclosing a student’s «transgender status or gender-nonconforming presentation» without the student’s permission. The documents also clarify that parental consent is not required.
The Michigan congressman expressed concern that the vague language of the guidelines could prevent faculty from communicating with parents about a child’s gender identity, potentially conflicting with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mirabelli v. Bonta earlier this year. In that case, the Court found that parents were likely to succeed in claims that a California law barring schools from disclosing a child’s «gender identity» to parents violated their free exercise rights under the First Amendment and their substantive due process rights under the 14th Amendment. The case remains in litigation at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Walberg also noted that when Rep. Bob Onder, R-Mo., asked King at the hearing whether CPS had changed its policies to align with the Mirabelli decision, King «deflected and failed to give a clear, direct answer.» King said she «hope[d]» that «the parent, the families, the student … and the school would all be in communication.» Walberg wrote that while King stated CPS communicates with parents in compliance with Illinois state law, she did not specify whether the district complies with federal law or the Supreme Court’s ruling.
«CPS’s policies appear to undermine the authority of parents and guardians, which the Supreme Court has stated 'have primary authority with respect to the upbringing and education of children,'» Walberg wrote. The committee is requesting all guidance documents, written complaints, and professional development training materials related to gender and sexuality, with a response due no later than Sept. 11.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Walberg said, «Parents deserve the right to know what goes on in their child’s classroom and have a say in decisions regarding their child. That is commonsense, and that right doesn’t go away at the schoolhouse door.» He added, «Yet, far too often we have seen policies that allow schools to withhold important information from parents and make decisions about a child’s name, pronouns or gender identity without their knowledge. Our committee will always stand up for parents’ rights and defend their God-given role in their children’s lives and education.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Chicago Public Schools for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
