Court Allows Parents' Free Exercise Claim Against School's Gender Pronoun Policy to Proceed
A federal court has allowed a free exercise claim by parents Dan and Jennifer Mead against the Rockford Public School District to proceed. The Meads objected to the school's policy of referring to their child, G.M., by a preferred name and gender pronouns that did not align with G.M.'s sex at birth, citing interference with their religious beliefs. Initially, the court dismissed the free exercise claim, but a recent Supreme Court decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta prompted a reconsideration. The court found that the school’s policies likely imposed a substantial burden on the Meads' religious rights, similar to the situation in Mirabelli, where school policies prevented staff from informing parents about a child's gender transition without the child's consent. 
