Monterey School District Settles With Parent Who Alleged Her Daughter Was ‘Coached’ Into Trans Identity

The Spreckels Union School District in Monterey County has settled with a parent who accused staff of manipulating her daughter into identifying as transgender. SUSD will pay the family nearly $100,000 to settle claims of a 14th Amendment violation. 

According to the lawsuit, two teachers at Buena Vista Middle School “told [the student] A.G. that she was bisexual,” an idea “that did not originate with A.G.” Those same teachers later convinced the student that she was transgender, the suit said, and insisted that she keep her trans identity a secret from her mother. A.G. would later go back to identifying as a female.

An investigation by an outside law firm did not find that the teachers had ‘coached’ students on changing their genders, but it did find the teachers had been deceptive about the “purposes or activities” of the LGBTQ school club they ran. The teachers have resigned from their positions. 

The legal settlement “sends a clear message that parental rights must be respected,” said Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican National Committee member and conservative lawyer who represented the plaintiff. The “courage” of A.G. and her mother will “inspire countless other parents to stand against the violation of their rights,” Dhillon added.