Kansas Education Officials Go Silent After SCOTUS Backs Parents on Gender Notification
The Supreme Court spoke. Four KS districts are under federal investigation. State education leaders cannot be bothered to respond. #Kansas
Kansas Education Officials Go Silent After SCOTUS Backs Parents on Gender Notification
The Supreme Court has now said the quiet part out loud. Parents have a constitutional right to know when their child is being socially transitioned at school. And in Kansas, the top education officials cannot even be bothered to answer a basic question about it.
The Sentinel contacted Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson and State Board of Education President Cathy Hopkins asking if KSDE will require districts to comply with the Supreme Court's ruling in Mirabelli v. Bonta. Neither responded.
What the Supreme Court Actually Said
In Mirabelli v. Bonta, the Court found that parents have a "federal constitutional right to be informed if their public school child expresses gender incongruence."
"Parents, not the State, have primary authority with respect to the upbringing and education of children."
The Court also recognized that "gender dysphoria is a condition that has an important bearing on a child's mental health" and parents cannot be cut out of decisions affecting their child's wellbeing.
Four Kansas Districts Already Under Federal Investigation
Shawnee Mission
Olathe
Kansas City, Kansas
Topeka
These districts are under federal investigation for alleged Title IX and FERPA violations. Their policies allow students to participate in sports and access facilities based on "gender identity" rather than biological sex, and prevent staff from disclosing a student's transition to parents without the student's consent. FERPA requires parental notification of social gender transitioning.
That is not education. That is ideological custody.
Silence Is Its Own Answer
If Kansas education officials believed districts were clearly required to comply, they could say so. Quickly. Publicly. Unequivocally. Instead, nothing. No statement. No clarification. No guidance.
That kind of silence is not neutrality. It is avoidance. Protect the bureaucracy first. Protect the policy class second. Maybe get around to parents later. Or maybe not at all.
Further Reading
⢠The Sentinel: KSDE Officials Refuse to Answer on SCOTUS Ruling
⢠Heartlander News: Kansas Education Officials Refuse to Answer