There have been a number of developments in two complaints filed by the Law Centre at the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity against the RI Department of Education (RIDE) and its Commissioner, Angelica Infante-Green.

In the RI Superior Court complaint, a pre-hearing conference was held last week with Judge Joseph McBurney, Greg Piccirilli (Law Centre attorney for plaintiff Jane Doe), and attorneys for RIDE.

The complaint seeks repeal of RIDE’s regulations, adopted by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education – a mandate that by July 1, 2018, each local education agency (LEA) must implement policies protecting transgender and gender non-conforming students.

The complaint argues two primary points:

1. The 2018 regulation was based on a purposefully manipulated and inaccurate citation of RI state law.
2. That plaintiff Jane Doe has suffered, and continues to suffer, harm because of those regulations, after her daughter was secretly aided by school officials in her wish to try to transition to a boy … and then attempted suicide in 2024.

The emotional deep-dive interview with Jane Doe on Mike Stenhouse’s In The Dugout video podcast has garnered over 1100 views. Jane Doe is a member of the RI Chapter of Moms for Liberty, founded by Amy Rodrigues, who referred Doe to the Law Centre.

In the conference, it was agreed that the motion for immediate injunctive relief would be withdrawn. However, the process for a full hearing is still moving ahead, as the RIDE attorneys agreed that Jane Doe did have standing as plaintiff.

In the coming months, each side will submit legal briefs to the court, detailing their arguments and responding to each other. A hearing, with oral arguments, will be held on Tuesday, August 19. Interested members of the public are invited to attend.

Rodrigues encourages other parents and family members who also may have suffered harm because of RIDE’s transgender regulations to join the RI chapter of Moms For Liberty and to consult with Law Centre attorneys.

A hearing this week on the second complaint, made directly to RIDE and adjudicated under the Administrative Procedures Act, produced fireworks and an apparent win for the plaintiff.

This complaint alleges that the public school district of Jane Doe’s daughter has not turned over all school and medical records as required by law, as requested by the Law Centre, and as authorized by the mother, Jane Doe.

It is well known that the daughter not only consulted with school officials on her transition, but also with the Thundermist Health Center, which offers “behavioral health” services as part of its partnership with RIDE and RI public schools.

However, school officials and the attorney for the school district claim that there are no medical records to turn over to the mother. Piccirilli finds this hard to believe and has been granted a hearing to adjudicate the matter.

The fireworks occurred after the school district’s attorney vehemently refused to agree to ask the school principal to testify under oath at the pending hearing and to be questioned about how exactly the daughter was transitioned and what records were kept. However, under threat of a subpoena by Piccirilli, the hearing officer advised the school district attorney that the school principal must agree to testify, or else the subpoena would be signed.

All of this leads to the question of what RIDE and the school district are trying to hide from the public about its transgender policies. “If RIDE believes their regulations are for the good of students, then they should be proud to let it be known publicly about the details their prescribed process,” commented Mike Stenhouse, CEO for the Center. “Obviously, as our Superior Court complaint states, RIDE’s regulations are indeed causing harm to students and their families.”

Court documents, legal letters, and a chronologic listing of related legal actions can be viewed by clicking here.