Littlejohn v. School Board of Leon County

A Florida school district met secretly with a 13-year-old girl, behind her parents’ back, to develop a “gender support plan” that permitted the adolescent to use pronouns inconsistent with her sex. The plan also indicated that school staff should begin using her new name and “they/them” pronouns when referring to the child at school, but would use the child’s given name and “she/her” when talking to her parents, keeping the parents in the dark about what was going on with their daughter at school.

Case Timeline

• 2018: Leon County Schools implemented its “LGBTQ+ Support Guide.” The guide instructed school staff to not notify parents regarding their child’s new gender identity.
• September 2020: School officials met with the Littlejohns’ daughter, A.G., without notifying her parents. Officials also created a “gender support plan” for A.G. without her parents’ knowledge, participation, or consent.
• June 2021: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a Parents’ Bill of Rights, codifying “a fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their minor children.”
• October 2021: The Child & Parental Rights Campaign, along with Evans & Dixon LLC, filed a complaint on behalf of the Littlejohns in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
• March 2022: The Florida legislature passed the Parental Rights in Education Act, further strengthening parental rights in education.
• June 2022: The school board approved a revised guide after Florida passed new laws protecting parental rights.
• December 2022: A federal district court granted Leon County School Board’s motion to dismiss the case.
• February 2023: The case was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
• May 2023: Alliance Defending Freedom filed an amicus brief in support of the Littlejohns at the 11th Circuit.
• March 2025: The 11th Circuit affirmed the district court’s ruling.
• April 2025: Attorneys for the Littlejohns filed a petition for rehearing en banc. ADF filed an amicus brief in support of the Littlejohns’ petition.
• July 2025: The petition for rehearing en banc was denied.
• September 2025: Consovoy McCarthy and the Child & Parental Rights Campaign appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• October 2025: ADF attorneys filed an amicus brief on behalf of former ADF client Tammy Fournier urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.