Portland Public Schools rescinds ban on woman who questioned child's gender identity assignment
Portland Public Schools rescinds ban on woman who questioned child's gender identity assignment
Portland Public Schools rescinded its over her opposition to the district's gender curriculum, according to a legal group representing the parent.
In August, Allison Roberts after she expressed concern last year over Meriwether Lewis Elementary School's decision to repaint its traditional rainbow pride flag into an "Intersex-Inclusive Progress" variant to include support for racial inclusion and transgender rights.
Roberts also discovered an "identity flower" assignment given to her 11-year-old child that asked students to identify and discuss their gender identity with classmates and teachers. After receiving what she described as an unsatisfactory response from the school, Roberts wrote an open letter to the community criticizing the school's policies, which she distributed on a public sidewalk outside school property.
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The school later accused Roberts of "harassment, intimidation, and threatening behavior" as part of a pattern of "animus and harassment targeting vulnerable members of [the] community." The district issued Roberts a one-year trespass order barring her from attending school events, including her child's graduation ceremony.
According to the Liberty Justice Center, which represented Roberts, Portland Public Schools agreed to several concessions before a scheduled hearing on Roberts motion for a preliminary injunction. These included rescinding her campus ban, exempting her children from certain LGBTQ2SIA+-related curriculum requirements and reviewing its nondiscrimination and anti-harassment policy.
In a statement to , Portland Public Schools confirmed that the school district "agreed to rescind the trespass notice in mid-November."
"PPS has and will continue to comply with all laws that serve and protect children," the district's statement read.
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Timothy Snowball, lead attorney for the Liberty Justice Center's PARENTS Initiative, called the concessions a "victory" and told Fox News Digital that they were a sign of the school district recognizing that these actions were unconstitutional.
"The timing of this settlement is not a coincidence," he said. "Only two days before the negotiations started, the district was set on fighting Allison Roberts. But after an hour or two with a federal judge explaining to them why their conduct was unconstitutional, they immediately changed their plans."
Just goes to show that the students arent the only ones in Portland who need an education on basic civics," Snowball added.
Another hearing on the district's policies is scheduled for Dec. 1, with a focus on policies Snowball said allow teachers to withhold information from parents.
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" Public Schools tried to silence a mother who dared to question what was happening in her childrens school. Now the district has agreed to withdraw its warnin
