Parent sues District 300 over student’s gender transition
Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 is being sued by a parent who claims her constitutional rights were violated when the district aided her child’s gender transition without parental involvement.
The lawsuit was filed this week in federal court on behalf of the mother of a high school student.
“This case challenges a public school district’s policies, practices and customs of subjecting minor students to psychological and identity-based interventions, while deliberately excluding their parents from participation, consent and even knowledge,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed by Naperville attorney Ajay Gupta.
The lawsuit, which refers to the mother only by her initials, seeks class action status to include other District 300 parents who dealt with similar situations.
District 300 officials did not return repeated calls for comment this week. When reached by phone, two District 300 school board members declined comment and directed calls to the district’s communications team.
Gupta also did not return calls for comment.
The lawsuit was filed less than two weeks after the U.S. Department of Justice announced an investigation into more than three dozen Illinois school districts, including Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155, over policies and curricula related to gender and sexuality.
According to the lawsuit, District 300 “socially transitioned minor students at school” while withholding information from parents.
Specifically, the lawsuit notes that District 300 staff used an alternate name and pronouns for a student without providing the mother advance notice or seeking her involvement. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the mother’s requests to be involved were denied.
“These actions are not routine educational judgments,” the lawsuit claims. “They constitute state-directed psychological intervention into a minor’s identity, mental health and familial relationships.”
The lawsuit outlines a series of events between 2022 and 2025, claiming the mother was left out of key decisions and denied the ability to modify her student’s gender support plan.
The mother, who was initially denied access to the plan, received the document in September 2025 after filing a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act complaint. She also denies claims from a December 2025 district investigation that she was made aware of decisions and refused to participate, according to the suit.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified financial damages. It also seeks to prohibit the school district from initiating gender support plans without providing parental notification, barring parents from discussions about such plans or withholding material related to such decisions from parents.