A Minnesota mother who has long challenged what she calls “ideological grooming” in public schools is accusing St. Louis Park Middle School of violating a federal directive by asking students — including her daughter — to share their preferred pronouns on the first day of school.
In a letter dated Sept. 26 and addressed to Principal Melissa Kalinowski, Jill McLaughlin said the practice violates Executive Order 14190, a January 2025 directive titled “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling.” Signed Jan. 29, the order directs federal agencies to prevent taxpayer funds from supporting what it calls “gender ideology” or “discriminatory equity ideology” in schools.
McLaughlin says it specifically prohibits educators from “facilitating the social transition of minors,” including the use of names or pronouns inconsistent with biological sex.
Parent describes pronoun exercise
McLaughlin told Alpha News that her daughter’s teacher conducted what she called a pronoun “round robin” on the first day of school.
“On the first day of school, one of my daughter’s seventh grade teachers did a pronoun round robin where she asked the children to go around and state their pronouns — which is against a federal executive order,” McLaughlin said.
Even if participation was optional, she said it’s not that simple.
“There’s a lot of peer pressure in middle school to conform,” McLaughlin said. “Kids who may not be comfortable stating their pronouns may end up doing it to not look uncool or to go along with the crowd.”
Her letter calls the classroom activity “a deliberate ideological exercise” that “creates an environment where social transition is solicited and affirmed.”
Letter cites executive order
The letter, copied to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, and multiple state lawmakers, warns that such practices could expose the district to federal penalties, including loss of funding.
McLaughlin also documented what she described as broader “pronoun ideology” across the school — including pronouns in email signatures, signage on classroom doors, and pins worn by staff. “It’s not harmless jewelry,” she wrote. “It’s the district daring federal law to come knocking.”
She demanded that the district prohibit pronoun usage in all official communications and remove related signage, asserting that “every pronoun a teacher pushes” puts the district and taxpayers at risk.
Longtime parental rights advocate
McLaughlin, who first drew statewide attention in 2023 when she spoke with Alpha News, has become a parental-rights activist in Minnesota.
At the time, she alleged that Peter Hobart Elementary School was “grooming” her adopted black daughter “to hate her white parents” through racially divisive curriculum and political messaging.
“We were notified via email on a Thursday that that very week was Black Lives Matter at School Week,” McLaughlin said in that earlier interview. “They absolutely tried to hide it from parents. They knew that they were going to do this.”
She later founded a nonprofit called Good Trouble Parents, now known as the Protective Parent Coalition, to advocate for families like hers.
“Critical race theory has specific harms for families like mine,” she said at the time. “These kids are being groomed to believe that their white parents are oppressing them.”
Alpha News reached out to St. Louis Park Public Schools and Superintendent Carlondrea Hines for comment but did not receive a response.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
