MARION, Iowa — An Iowa school board has settled a lawsuit over a now-rescinded district policy that allowed students to apply for a gender support plan to begin a social transition at school, without parental consent.
Linn-Mar Community Schools’ insurance company will pay the plaintiffs, Parents Defending Education, $20,000, the Gazette newspaper in Cedar Rapids reported. The district announced this on Tuesday.
Issues regarding transgender students are contentious in many school districts. The American Federation of Teachers said candidates publicly endorsed by conservative groups like Moms for Liberty and the 1776 Project lost about 70% of their race nationally in the November election — a figure those groups disputed.
The board of Linn-Mar in Marion adopted a policy in April 2022 that, among other things, gives students access to restrooms, locker rooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.
The policy became a national political issue in February 2023 and drew criticism from former Vice President Mike Pence, who later announced a bid for the Republican presidential nomination before dropping out in October.
“The strength of our nation is tied to the strength of our families, and we cannot stand idly by as the radical left attempts to indoctrinate our children behind their parents’ backs,” Pence said in a statement to The Associated Press at the time.
As Iowa lawmakers debated the limits of transgender policies in districts, the Linn-Mar administration rescinded its policy in March. State law now prohibits districts from knowingly “giving false or misleading information to a parent or guardian about their child’s gender identity or intent to transition” to a gender other than the gender listed on the birth certificate.
Although three Moms for Liberty-backed candidates were defeated in the Linn-Mar district in November, the district’s statement said the board “believes the district’s time and resources are better spent looking ahead rather than staying defending a lawsuit over a policy that has been out of effect for almost a year.”