Government Attacks Parental Rights In Schools From Every Angle

Written by Hudson Crozier

What’s happening: Public officials are increasingly eroding parental authority over children’s education in the name of transgender ideology. This month alone, several have challenged the right of parents to know if their child begins to identify as another gender.

Why it matters: Most voters in America, even in California, overwhelmingly oppose keeping parents in the dark about a child’s supposed gender identity, especially since it may lead children to pursue life-altering medical interventions.

Breaking it down

Public school staff: Last week, a Virginia school district announced it would not change its policy in response to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s rule requiring parents to be informed of a child’s transition. The district’s current policies “encourage and support communication” but ultimately allow the student to have “privacy” if they wish, like the other 1,000 U.S. districts that have secretive transgender policies.

The judiciary: Multiple federal courts have protected these policies and dismissed lawsuits against them. A ruling this month will allow a Maryland school district to continue supporting the transition of hundreds of children without parental knowledge.

The Biden administration: President Joe Biden’s agencies encourage schools — sometimes with financial incentives — to coordinate with activist groups that help students socially transition without their parents knowing. The Education Department has even funded a teachers organization that embraces this goal.

At the state level: California’s attorney general is investigating a school district for what he calls a “forced outing” policy that makes transgender children “vulnerable to harassment and potential abuse” from “unaccepting” family members. Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to ban these parental notification policies in California. New Jersey’s attorney general recently sued three school districts for adopting them.