Wake County Parents Demand Opt-Out From Classroom of Male Teacher Pretending to be Woman

Parents in Wake County in North Carolina are asserting their right to raise their children as they see fit, especially when it comes to men in classrooms pretending to be women. They are demanding accommodations.

Thomas More Society represents a group of parents at an elementary school in the Wake County Public School system.

The district hired a music teacher, a man pretending to be a woman. Parents don’t want their children to discuss “transgenderism” or be penalized for telling the truth about pronouns. Parents say the class is unavoidable for their children and want to opt them out.

The school had the nerve to reject the parents’ request. Parents have a right in North Carolina to opt their kids out of objectionable instruction.

The parents have given the district 15 days to respond to a legal letter. They want the following in writing:

1. That parents may opt their children out of any class taught by the teacher;

2. That no student will be disciplined for using “Mr.” and male pronouns for the teacher;

3. That gender identity and sexuality will not be discussed with students without advance parental notice and the right to opt out;

4. That the teacher will not share a bathroom, locker room, or similar space with students; and

5. That no family will face retaliation for asserting these rights.

“These are modest, common-sense protections, and the Constitution requires them,” said Tyler Brooks, senior counsel at Thomas More Society. “Parents have the right to direct the religious upbringing of their children, and children should not be punished for speaking in a way that is consistent with their family’s faith. We are only asking school officials to respect parents’ rights and not force issues of sexuality and gender identity on elementary school children.”

Thomas More Society cited two Supreme Court cases, Mahmoud v. Taylor (2025) and Mirabelli v. Bonta (2026), to support their potential case against Wake County schools.

Parents, not government bureaucrats, get to decide how to raise their own children.