School staff should be able to affirm and support LGBTQ+ students.

Update: On February 19, 2025, the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Massachusetts public school’s policy supporting transgender students. GLAD Law submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in June of 2023 with the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, describing how a positive school climate is crucial to educational success for all students.

GLAD Law filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of the Massachusetts Superintendents Association and GLAD Law in support of a Ludlow public school. The case involves actions taken by teachers and staff to support the well-being of two students, including using the students’ requested names and pronouns and waiting to discuss their gender expression at school with parents until the students themselves were ready to do so. By affirming and supporting students in this way, the school was meeting its obligation to provide a safe and equal educational environment for all students. Years of research show that LGBTQ+-supportive school policies create better outcomes for all students.

The school district’s motion to dismiss the parents’ case was argued before the US District Court in Springfield on October 17, 2023. The US District Court in Springfield dismissed the parents’ case, who appealed at the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.