California school district settles with mother after school ‘transitioned’ daughter without her consent

FIRST ON FOX – In what's been called a landmark victory for parental rights, a California school district has settled for $100,000 with a mother who said her daughter was "socially transitioned" to a boy without parental knowledge or consent. 

Jessica Konen claimed that her 11-year-old daughter, Alicia, was told by her school in the Spreckels Union School District in Monterey County, Calif., that she may be upset because she didn’t know who she "truly was inside." From there, the school allowed her to use the boy’s bathroom, used male pronouns to refer to her and was "socially transitioned" away from her biological gender.

Once Konen found out that her daughter was being identified as a male and socially transitioning without her knowledge, she sued the district. Her daughter has since decided to re-identify as a girl, and the California single mother vowed to keep fighting for parental rights following the settlement. 

"They need to understand their place, and they need to stay in their place. And schools nowadays, they're awful. So, I'm going to fight this fight and keep fighting this fight," Konen told Fox News Digital. 

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Jessica Konen said schools "need to understand their place, and they need to stay in their place."

"I am not going to allow this to keep happening to children," Konen continued. "I feel that the fight, it has to continue."

The Spreckels Union School District is not admitting fault with the settlement. But it's nonetheless a significant moment amid the nationwide debate over parental rights related to schooling decisions that affect children.

Konen said she avoided pronouns at first, calling her daughter by terms such as "sweetie" and "kiddo" instead of making a potentially offensive comment. Their relationship was strained as a result, but she said they are doing great now, and they’re eager to work together and help remove "the parental secrecy" out of schools.

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Jessica Konen and her daughter. (Provided by Jessica Konen)

"I think it took a lot of guts for both of us to be able to open up publicly and explain what is happening," Konen said. "Parents, be vigilant, you know, pay attention. Those gut feelings you have, they're real. I feel like this just opened doors."

Ultimately, Konen feels she received justice with the settlement and hopes other parents can learn from her experience. 

"We definitely are going to be at peace and be able to try to move on from this. But parents, pay attention, ask the questions that are offered. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations because you don't know what someone's going through. You don't know what they're teaching in schools anymore," Konen said. "Just be active in your kid’s lives and don't be scared to speak up."

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The Spreckels Union School District did not respond to a request for comment. 

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Brian Flood is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and on Twitter: @briansflood.