Portland mother Allison Roberts sues Public Schools after being barred from campus following a gender curriculum dispute.
A US mother has sued Portland Public Schools after she was barred from her children's elementary school and prevented from attending school events following a dispute over gender-related lessons, according to a lawsuit filed this week, cited by Fox News. Allison Roberts, from Portland, Oregon, says the district retaliated against her after she questioned the school's approach to gender identity and criticised its policies. The Liberty Justice Centre, which represents Roberts, filed the lawsuit against Portland Public Schools and Meriwether Lewis Elementary School.
Dispute over classroom assignment
Roberts' concerns began after her 11-year-old child received an “identity flower” assignment asking students to identify and discuss their gender identity with classmates and teachers. She said she had not received advance notice about the activity and requested a meeting with the school's principal. Roberts also objected to the school's decision to repaint its traditional rainbow Pride flag with an “Intersex-Inclusive Progress” design. She said the flag promoted views that conflicted with her Christian beliefs. After what she considered an inadequate response from the school, Roberts wrote an open letter criticising its policies and distributed it from a public sidewalk outside the school.
One-year ban from school
According to the lawsuit, the school subsequently issued Roberts a one-year trespass order, preventing her from entering the elementary school or attending events there. When Roberts contacted the school seeking an explanation, she was told the action was related to “harassment, intimidation, and threatening behavior.” she was part of a pattern of “animus and harassment targeting vulnerable members of [the] community,” according to the lawsuit. Roberts disputes that characterisation. The Liberty Justice Centre alleges that the district used the school's harassment rules to retaliate against Roberts for expressing her views.
Lawyers challenge school policies
The lawsuit claims the district violated Roberts' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights by restricting her speech and access to school activities. The legal group is asking a federal court to declare the challenged actions unconstitutional and block the policies it says were used against her. Timothy R. Snowball, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Centre, told Fox News Digital that the organisation plans to seek a preliminary injunction while the case proceeds. “Our next step in the case will be filing a motion for a preliminary injunction to put a stop to these unconstitutional policies while the case moves forward,” Snowball said. He said the motion would seek protection not only for Roberts but also for other families in Portland. Roberts told the outlet that she had received support from people in Portland and from parents and grandparents across the US. “I never wanted things to get to this point. But knowing that I'm fighting this battle not just for my family, but for millions of American families, reassures me that bringing this suit is the right thing to do,” she said.
