Supreme Court declines Florida school gender-identity challenge

The Supreme Court refused to hear parents' challenge to Florida's school gender-identity policy.

The U.S. Supreme Court on April 27, 2026 declined to review Littlejohn v. School Board of Leon County, Florida, letting stand a policy that permits Florida schools to affirm a student's gender identity without always notifying parents.

• The challenge came from January and Jeffrey Littlejohn, whose lawsuit alleged school officials at Deerlake Middle School set up a 'Student Support Plan' for their 13-year-old without informing them.
• The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case in March 2025, finding that staff intended to help the child and did not act egregiously enough to 'shock the conscience.'
• Following Florida’s enactment of a 'Parents' Bill of Rights' law in 2021, Leon County revised its policies. Staff are now barred from intentionally withholding information about students from parents, except when disclosure risks abuse, abandonment, or neglect.

The Supreme Court's move means the Leon County approach to gender-identity support in schools—including provisions for confidentiality in limited circumstances—remains in effect. This comes at a time when federal courts are repeatedly fielding disputes over school policies on gender identity, parental rights, and student privacy. Similar cases have reached, but not been accepted by, the high court.