Figliola v. The School Board of The City of Harrisonburg

Summary

The Harrisonburg City Public School Board in Virginia was usurping parents’ right to direct the upbringing of their children and forcing school staff to violate their religious beliefs by affirming the board’s view on gender identity. Upon a child’s request, school district policy required staff to immediately begin using opposite-sex pronouns and forbade staff from sharing information with parents about their child’s request, instead instructing staff to mislead and deceive parents.

Case Timeline

August 2021: Harrisonburg City Public Schools modified its nondiscrimination policy to include gender identity and developed guidance on the treatment of students identifying as “transgender.”
January 2022: Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter to Harrisonburg City Public Schools on behalf of a group of concerned parents and teachers. The letter asked HCPS to rescind its policy that requires all staff members to affirm a student’s gender identity by using any name and pronoun the student requests while affirmatively hiding this from the student’s parents.
April 2022:After receiving a response from the district, ADF attorneys sent a second letter reiterating how “HCPS’ policy and practice too often excludes, deceives, and usurps the role of parents.”
June 2022: ADF filed a complaint against HCPS for usurping the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children and violating the religious beliefs and free speech rights of school staff.
October 2024: ADF attorneys filed a motion for summary judgment with the Rockingham County Circuit Court asking the court to decide the case without a trial.
December 2024: To resolve the case, the Harrisonburg City School Board agreed to respect the constitutional right of its teachers to do their jobs in accordance with their religious beliefs.