New Jersey school backs down in parental rights lawsuit

A New Jersey school board agreed to drop its policy allowing staff to hide a child’s gender transition from his or her parents. The decision ensured that the School District of the Chathams Board of Education will respect parental rights, Thomas More Society said in a news release Tuesday. The legal organization in August sued the school board over its policy while representing the Moms for Liberty group, on behalf of an anonymous family. Last week, the board voted 7-0 to approve a legal settlement ensuring it will not readopt the policy or a similar one in the future. The agreement was then filed in a U.S. District Court on Oct. 15, stating that the school will respect the parental rights that the Supreme Court cemented earlier this year in Mirabelli v. Bonta.

The Supreme Court made clear that schools don’t have the authority to transition children behind parents’ backs, said Christopher Ferrara, an attorney at Thomas More Society. Families in the Chathams school district were forced to go to court to ensure their rights were upheld, he said.

What was the district’s policy? It allowed school counselors to withhold information regarding a student’s gender transition from parents. The policy, adopted in 2024, also required students to use a classmate’s preferred name and pronouns, or face discipline for harassing the student. Additionally, it permitted students to use locker rooms that didn’t line up with their biological sex.

Moms for Liberty filed a lawsuit against the school on behalf of an anonymous family with two elementary-aged daughters. The parents behind the case faced harassment for asking their school district to respect their role as their children’s primary educators, said Tina Descovich, the CEO of Moms for Liberty. Schools nationwide should note the results of this case, Descovich added.

WORLD reached out to the school board for comment, but did not immediately hear back on Wednesday morning. This story will be updated with any comments received.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Weller’s report for WORLD Magazine on how parents and teachers are teaming up to fight similar policies across the country.