Parents denied constitutional right to know about child’s gender transition

TUPELO, Miss. — Under a federal court ruling, Massachusetts parents Stephen Foote and Marissa Silvestri were declined the constitutional right to be informed about their child’s gender transition at school. The parents’ lawsuit “accuses school staff at Paul R. Baird Middle School in Ludlow, Massachusetts, of secretly encouraging their then-11-year-old daughter to adopt a new name and different gendered pronouns while at school.” The parents stated that the school’s nondisclosure policy — hiding student’s gender identity from parents unless given student consent — violates their parental rights in the Fourteenth Amendment.

As the leader of an organization dedicated to advancing biblical family values in society and government, Walker Wildmon, CEO of AFA Action, the governmental affairs affiliate of the American Family Association, is urging that schools stop impeding on parental rights and indoctrinating America’s children.

“A federal court just told parents they have no right to know if their child is being secretly transitioned at school,” says Wildmon. “These schools are lying to parents, pushing kids down a dangerous path, and the courts are letting it happen. They are destabilizing children’s identities, then leaving the parents to deal with the emotional and psychological wreckage. This is a state-sanctioned deception designed to sever the bond between parents and their children, proving once again that the left’s agenda is about control, not care. Teachers and school administrators are not the parents — this is a blatant violation of parental rights and an attack on the family structure itself. This must end. It ends when parents refuse to be sidelined, lawmakers take decisive action, and the Supreme Court restores the fundamental rights of families.”

AFA Action is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to advancing biblical family values in society and government by shaping public policy through education and advocacy. The mission of AFA Action is to inform and mobilize individuals to strengthen the biblical foundations of America by persuading individuals with the truth of the Gospel, challenging the lost to repent, promoting societal values that are consistent with Scripture, restraining evil and exposing the works of darkness, motivating people to take a stand on cultural and moral issues, and encouraging Christians to bear witness to the world the love of Jesus Christ. Find AFA Action Alerts here. 

For more information on the American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or X.        

For more information on AFA Action, visit www.afaaction.net or follow AFA Action on Facebook or X.

To interview an AFA or AFA Action spokesperson, contact [email protected] or Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, Dawn Foglein, ext. 100, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.