A federal appeals court will decide whether a Lincoln County mother can sue the local school district for letting her child use a different name and pronouns in school without telling her.

The Press Herald reports a federal judge dismissed the case in May, saying Amber Lavigne failed to prove the district had any liability in the case.

Lavigne initially claimed her parental rights were violated when the school allowed her child to use a different name and pronouns, and now additionally claims the school violated the 14th amendment.

Arguments in the case were made Wednesday at the federal appeals court in Boston.

The case comes during a rise in parental rights cases over their children’s gender expression in schools.

The Press Herald reports Twelve states – Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia – submitted briefs in support of Lavigne’s appeal.

Lavigne is represented by the conservative Arizona-based think tank the Goldwater Institute.