Portland Schools Lift Ban on Christian Mother Who Objected to Gender Lessons

PORTLAND, Ore. —

Portland Public Schools has agreed to withdraw a trespass notice that barred Allison Roberts, a Christian mother of two students, from Meriwether Lewis Elementary School in Portland, Oregon, after she handed out letters objecting to lessons on gender identity, The Christian Post reported Oct. 29. The order was signed Monday, Oct. 26.

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Roberts, represented by the Liberty Justice Center, sued in U.S. District Court in Portland on Aug. 12. The suit named the district, Senior Director of Schools Chandra Wilson-Cooper and Principal Deanne Froehlich, according to the Daily Tidings. Roberts had raised concerns about an Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag displayed at the school and an “identity flower” activity given to her 11-year-old without notice to parents or a way to opt out.

After she gave other parents a letter from a public sidewalk, the district served her with a one-year trespass notice and a formal warning, citing harassment. When a second letter was handed out through a friend, the district threatened to extend the ban to all district property, the lawsuit says.

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Under the order, the district will withdraw the trespass notice and warning, allow opt-outs from LGBTQ2SIA+ activities, tell Roberts if her children experience gender dysphoria or identify as the opposite sex, acknowledge her First Amendment rights and review its harassment policy. The district acknowledged her right to “peacefully distribute literature in a public forum such as a sidewalk.”

The district's side, as reported, came in an email from the principal saying Roberts had engaged in “harassment, intimidation, and threatening behavior.” The district has said its discrimination policy can lead to parents or volunteers being barred from school grounds; the lawsuit disputes that Roberts broke it. The district did not make a further public statement in the reports we reviewed.

“Portland Public Schools tried to silence a mother who dared to question what was happening in her children's school,” said Timothy Snowball, an attorney with the Liberty Justice Center. He said “the fight is not over,” because the district still defends policies that let staff withhold such information from parents. Roberts had seven days to send written demands for remaining policy changes, and the parties are due in court Dec. 1.