Empower Parents to Protect their Kids Act

This bill mandates that elementary and secondary schools receiving federal funds must obtain express parental consent before undertaking any actions to facilitate a child's gender transition or affirm an identity incongruent with their sex. This requirement applies to students under 18 years of age and encompasses accommodations, referrals to medical providers, or any other aid in adopting such an identity. Furthermore, the legislation explicitly prohibits school employees from encouraging students to withhold information from their parents regarding their gender identity or discomfort with their sex. Employees are also forbidden from withholding or hiding such information from parents themselves. The bill also prevents school staff from coercing or pressuring parents or students into pursuing interventions to affirm a gender identity incongruent with their sex. To ensure compliance, federal agencies will require schools applying for federal assistance to describe the steps they will take to meet these requirements and provide written policies to the agency and families, which must also be publicly posted online. A qualified party , including the Attorney General or any adversely affected parent, may initiate a civil action against non-compliant schools. Successful plaintiffs can receive various forms of relief, including injunctive relief, declaratory relief, reasonable attorney's fees, and payment for treatments or therapy to address harm from gender transition. The bill includes specific definitions for terms such as "male," "female," and "sex," defining them based on biological reproductive systems and biological determination.