Days after a new state law began allowing Colorado students to choose their names at school, an effort to require parental notification for such behavior started petitioning for the November ballot Initiative 142 would make public school staff inform parents if they obtain any information that a student is experiencing "gender incongruence," defined as a difference between the student's biological sex and gender identity. If a child uses a different name or pronouns at school — or even if an employee overhears students talking about their gender identity — their...

PORTLAND, Maine — A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by a Maine woman who accused school officials of encouraging her teen’s gender expression by providing a chest binder and using a new name and pronouns, without consulting parents. U.S. District Judge Jon Levy acknowledged his decision that a mother such as Amber Lavigne “might expect school officials to keep her informed about how her child is navigating matters related to gender identity” but he concluded that she failed to establish legal claims for which the school district could be...

Dear Annie: You recently said you rarely get letters praising mothers-in-law. Well, here is one! I grew up in an abusive family with a mother who has severe borderline personality disorder and refuses to get medication or therapy. When I met my mother-in-law, I was naturally very distrustful of her. Mothers were not safe to me, and mothers-in-law were supposed to be even worse! I am happy to say that 15 years later, I love the woman dearly. She has helped me heal that little girl who needed a mom...

When a kid is doing badly in school, who do you blame? If you ask some parents, they may say it's the teachers, and if you ask the teachers, they may say the parents. In the Baltimore City School District, some parents and teachers decided to stop blaming each other and work together to find solutions.

Dear Annie: I am a school secretary. Parents often call in with issues regarding their children. Some are very personal including health, family issues, abuse, neglect, behavior, etc. Many parents go into FULL detail as to what is happening. In these circumstances, I am not the person who can assist them. Instead, I refer them to a counselor, principal, nurse or teacher. I don’t blame them; they probably do not know where to start and they are struggling. However, it puts me in an awkward situation as I really do...

Jennifer and James Crumbley, who were convicted of involuntary manslaughter for failing to prevent their teenage son from killing four fellow students in the worst school shooting in Michigan’s history, will be sentenced by a judge on Tuesday.

Their separate jury trials ended in guilty verdicts in February and March, making them the first parents in the country to be convicted for the deaths caused by their child in a mass shooting.

Alaska now has its second Moms For Liberty chapter, which is part of a rapidly growing network of more than 300 groups with 130,000 active members across 48 states. The newly launched Anchorage chapter follows the establishment of a Mat-Su chapter last fall. According to the national website, the organization is the “largest and only grassroots organization of Moms in the U.S. that are working to defend parental rights.” Its mission is “fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at...