A student from eastern Nebraska has filed a federal complaint claiming she was outed as transgender by school administrators at the start of the school year.Ìý
The complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office says that school officials violated the privacy of the 12-year-old student, who socially transitioned in elementary school, by outing her without consent, according to a Tuesday news release from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU did not disclose which school district the student attends for fear of revealing her identity.Ìý
The complaint dates back to August 2023, when the family of the student was allegedly contacted by the president of a private organization who said he had heard their child was trans. The family believes school officials violated the student's privacy due to the connection between the organization's leadership and school administration, according to the ACLU.
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The complaint states that school officials violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which is intended to prevent school officials from disclosing personal student information.
“As parents, we had the basic expectation that our child’s private information would be protected and safeguarded by those who held positions in school giving them access to confidential information. That was not the case, and the consequences for our child both inside and outside of school have been heartbreaking to watch unfold," the family wrote in a statement.
"Our child deserved better. We never want another child or family to face the pain we have because of abuse of information."
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Top Journal Star photos for February 2024
Lincoln Southeast's Jake Hilkemann (center) is met by his teammates after making the game-winning shot in the Knights' A-5 district championship win against Creighton Prep on Monday in Omaha.
Sgt. Kurt HeidemanÌýof of the Nebraska Army National Guard’s Company A, 2-134th Infantry Battalion is greeted by his children Rafe, 5, Zach, 10, Max, 9, and Maggie, 7, after returning from an overseas deployment in Africa at the Nebraska National Guard base on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.
Nebraska football's Emmett Johnson dunks over head coach Matt Rhule in the halftime dunk contest during halftime of the game against Minnesota on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
A bicyclist passes underneath the P street bridge that runs over the Billy Wolff Trail as Lincolnites take advantage of a warm afternoon on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Lincoln
Nebraska's Olivia Mauch dives during a beach volleyball match against Wayne State on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in Lincoln.
Millard West's Celia Hodge slices through the water as she completes a dive during the first day of Swim and Dive Championships at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Lincoln.
Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel testifies Friday at the Capitol about a proposal for the state to adoptÌýthe Veterans Justice Act.
Nebraska's Jaz Shelley (1) wipes a tear from her eye while being recognized during Senior Day after Saturday's victory over Minnesota at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Shelley had 16 points to lead the Huskers.
Lincoln East's Jadeon Carter reacts after winning the boys 200-yard freestyle at the state swimming championships on Saturday at the Devaney Sports Center.
the Lincoln Police Department and Lincoln Fire and Rescue respond to a crash at 52nd and O St., on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024.
Lincoln Southeast’s Nyaluak Dak (35) celebrates with her family (from left) Chudier Chuol, Nyalippe Dak and Nyawuol Dak after winning over Lincoln Pius XÌýin the A-6 district final on Friday at Pius X High School.
Lincoln Southwest's Samantha Neil swims in the 400-yard freestyle relay prelims during the girls state swimming championships on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 at the Devaney Sports Center.
Aris Bertwell, 4 (left), and Cora West, 3, peer out from viewing holes in a jungle gym tunnel at Primrose Schools located inside the Hudl building.
Omaha Marian's Lucy Johansen, Meredith Peyton, and Easton Glandt (from left) celebrate after winning the Girls 200 Yard Freestyle Relay during the Swimming championship finals at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, in Lincoln.
Lincoln High School SRO Ofc. Nolan Hauser stands in the hallway during a passing period to direct hallway traffic at Lincoln High School, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024.
Carsen McBride, 12, practices pitching with his dad as the sunsets on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024 at Lewis Fields.
Lincoln Southeast's Natalya Woods leaps from the starting blocks alongside other swimmers in the Girls 50 Yard Freestyle final during the Swimming championship finals at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, in Lincoln.
Gov. Jim Pillen (at podium) is joined by state senators as he announces the state will participate in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer Program after previously saying Nebraska wouldn't take part during a press conference in the Warner Chamber at the Capitol.
Scottsbluff's Chance Houser hugs his aunt Heather Cranmore (first left) and mother Chrissy Houser (right) while fans cheer him on after he defeated Lincoln Christian's Luke Farmen during the class B 126lb championship match at the CHI Health Center, on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, in Omaha.
North Platte's Tyler Haneborg, right, reacts after losing to Omaha Bryan's Abdirahman Unle during the Class A 113-pound championship match at the state wrestling tournament on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Ignacia Hernandez, 90 (left), kisses her husband Chris, 95,while they are reflected in a mirror that hangs over photos from their time together at their home in south Lincoln, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. The couple is celebrating their celebrating their 75 years of marriage this February.
Lincoln Pius X's David Hatt (right) reads "Don Quixote" between dives in the first round during the first day of Swim and Dive Championships at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Lincoln.
Stacy Griffin creates a Valentine's Day floral arrangement in her store Petal Creations on Tuesday. Griffin said she tells customers that "get-out-of-trouble flowers always cost more than the stay-out-of-trouble flowers."
Millard South's Hannah Kress leaps off the diving board during the first day of Swim and Dive Championships at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Lincoln.
Valentine's Day quartet members Bob Lundberg (from left), Rick Pape, Jerry Neeman and William Sheldon sing love songs for Zach Millikan while he cuts a customer's hair at Straight Edge Barber Shop in Lincoln. The singers are members of the Lincoln Continentals, a men's barbershop chorus that divided into quartets on Wednesday and delivered singing valentines and boxes of chocolates around town.
Swimmers warmup during a break in the second day of the boys state swimming championships on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
A Lincoln Lutheran student exits through aside door before the start of school at Lincoln Lutheran, on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, in Lincoln. Students who are in the Acts of Random Kindness club made paper flowers to hand out to other students for Valentine’s Day.
South Sioux City's Tony Palmer reacts after defeating Elkhorn's Mason Villwok during the class B 215lb championship matchat the CHI Health Center, on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, in Omaha.
Waverly's Drew Moser (left) blows a kiss to the crowd as he celebrates pinning Beatrice's Merrick Johnson (right) during the class B 175lb championship matchat the CHI Health Center, on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, in Omaha.
Lincoln Pius X assistant coach JJ Clark (left) celebrates after Joe Andreasen won his Class A 175-pound championship match at the state wrestling tournament Saturday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Members of the "What the Cluck" team wear inflatable chicken costumes to participate in the Polar Plunge event at Holmes Lake on Saturday.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln sociology junior Shyionna Thatcher (from left) and nutrition and health sciences junior Madison Marten throw confetti into the air after Nebraska scored its first points against Penn State on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Lincoln Christian's Luke Farmen (left) wrestles Bennington's Brayden Kreikemeier during a Class B 126-pound quarterfinal match at the state wrestling tournament on Thursday at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Students in the Acts of Random Kindness club work on making paper flowers to hand out before the start of school at Lincoln Lutheran, on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, in Lincoln. Students who are in the Acts of Random Kindness club made paper flowers to hand out to other students for Valentine’s Day.
Bishop Neumann's Connor Schutt (52) dunks during the game against Ashland-Greenwood on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, at Bishop Neumann.
Lincoln East senior Cassidy Bell helped write a bill, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad this legislative session, that would require all schools to provide free menstrual products in their restrooms.
Nebraska's Natalie Potts (22) and Nebraska's Kendall Moriarty (15) chase after a loose ball during the second half of the game against Iowa on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska's Kendall Coley, center, cries while celebrating with her team after winning over Iowa on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska won 82-79.
Nebraska's Sam Hoiberg (1) is fouled by Michigan’s Will Tschetter (42) during the second half of the game on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska's Peyton Robb waits for a challenge call to be reviewed at the end of his 157-pound match against Michigan onÌýFriday at the Devaney Sports Center.
Meadow Lane Elementary fifth graders Ava Schilousky (from left), Dani Thompson and Aurora Cordova react as their Dash robot knocks over the final bowling pin in their test course at Meadow Lane Elementary School.
Adelyn Baxter, 3, watches videos on a phone while her mother, Rachel Baxter, sets up a display for the 52nd annual Nebraska Builders Home & Garden Show at the Sandhills Global Event Center on Thursday. The show features ideas for landscaping, decorating, remodeling and building a new home. It runs 1-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Adult admission is $10 or $8 with a non-perishable food item for the Lincoln Food Bank.
Members of Ferocious Jungle Cat, Myles Jasnowaki (from left), Ian Fleming, Will Harman, Jack Rodenburg and Mike Masin, perform during the first night of the Lincoln Exposed music festival at the Zoo Bar.
Jaci Bunting, 12, smiles as her mom Sara helps hold her volleyball jersey for Nebraska's Lexi Rodriguez to sign during a National Girls and Women in Sports Day event on Wednesday at Hawks Championship Center.
Belmont Community Scholar Jaleah Loudermilk (right) leads her fellow scholars in raising their fists as they finish a rewritten speech from the book "Justice is ..." during the African American Read-In held at the LPS District Office on Wednesday.
Customers are reflected by a refrigerator door held open by Nash Leef, a farmer at the Salt Creek Farmers' Cooperative, as he looks for groceries during the opening of Open Harvest Co-op Grocery on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024.
Walkers are obscured by a thick fog on a path on top of the dam at Holmes Lake on Monday. Dense fog enveloped most of Lincoln Monday morning but later cleared up, bringing sun and temperatures in the upper 40s Monday afternoon. It will be even warmer the rest of the week, with forecast highs in the 50s Tuesday and Friday and the 60s Wednesday and Thursday, although those days will also bring high winds and a chance of rain. Temperatures are forecast to fall back into the 40s for the weekend, and there is a slight chance of some light snow.
Lincoln East senior Hannah Tang has been selected to represent Nebraska at the 62nd annual United States Senate Youth Program, Tang poses for a portrait at Lincoln East High School, on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
Nebraska's Antrell Taylor wrestles against Illinois' Chris Moore during the 165lb match on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Lincoln's Kai Janviriya celebrates his goal in the final seconds of the second period with Dashel Oliver (24), Jared Mangan (center) and Jack Pechar (21) against Omaha on Saturday at the Ice Box.
Nebraska's Alexis Markowski (40) tips a rebound out of the grasp of Rutgers' Mya Petticord (3) and Chyna Cornwell (54) during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena, on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024.
Lincoln Pius X's Sidda Hagedorn (from left), Natalie Prichard (12), Ava Markowski (40), Brynn Sebek (20) and Ellie Wells (52) celebrate after winning the game against Lincoln North StarÌýon Friday at North Star High School.
Lincoln Pius X's Amudi Musa lifts Raymond Central's Remington Parham during their 132-pound match Friday at Norris High School.
A student walks along the sidewalk in front of the Acklie Hall of Science (left) and the First United Methodist Church (right) on the Nebraska Wesleyan University campus in Lincoln.
Nebraska's Natalie Potts (22) and Northwestern's Melannie Daley (21) vie after a loose ball in the first at Pinnacle Bank Arena , on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Lincoln.
Bob Brandt sets down Unadilla Billie, the town's newest taxidermic groundhog, in the middle of the street to see if she casts a shadow outside the town community center during a small gathering in Downtown Unadilla on Friday. Billie did not cast a shadow, which means an early spring. Nationally, live groundhog Punxsutawney Phil also predicted an early spring. People in Lincoln and southeast Nebraska have already been experiencing a very early spring, with temperatures on Friday reaching into the 60s for the third day in a row. The forecast calls for temperatures that are somewhat cooler but still well above average. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high in the low 50s on Saturday, around 50 on Sunday and then 50s and maybe even more 60s next week. There also is a 50% chance of rain on both Saturday and Sunday.
Nebraska fans storm the court after the game against Wisconsin on Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska won 80-72 in overtime.
Nebraska players run on to the court before the game against PurdueÌýon Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
ÌýReach Jenna Ebbers at 402-473-2657 orÌýjebbers@journalstar.com.
Jenna Ebbers
K-12 Education Reporter
