Parent Sues State, Cherry Hill School District Over Transgender Policy

CHERRY HILL, NJ — A parent has sued the New Jersey Department of Education and Cherry Hill Board of Education over claims that their policies encourage secrecy and obstruct parents from learning about their children's gender identity, according to a news release shared earlier this month by Attorney Thomas Stavola Jr.

The parent, identified as Frederick K. Short Jr., claims in the lawsuit that the transgender guidance — issued by the New Jersey Department of Education and adopted as policy by Cherry Hill Schools — violates his Fourteenth Amendment rights.

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The policy requires schools to conceal students' gender identities and transitioning or transgender status from their parents and gives schools "no duty to inform parents about these critical matters," the lawsuit alleges.

"It encourages school personnel to have confidential conversations with the students about their gender identity, preferred name, pronouns, and parental communication preferences, allowing them to be the final arbiters as to whether their parents ever learn of their gender identity status," Stavola Jr. wrote. "This violates Short’s 14th amendment fundamental rights to direct the care, upbringing and medical decisions of his children."

Arguing that transitioning gender identities "necessitates the involvement of parents so that the child’s needs can be properly addressed through professional support," Stavola Jr. claims that the state's and district's policy "fails to provide for that by removing parents from the gender identity conversation."

The lawsuit seeks to have the state's Department of Education and Cherry Hill Schools guidance struck or at least amended "so that parents are notified and consent is obtained regarding any gender identity change expression."

"I am being denied my right as a parent to participate in my children’s lives on topics as important and fundamental as what they call themselves and what gender they choose," Short wrote. "The school is encouraging my children to deceive me and to live double-lives of secrecy by blocking this information from my wife and I."

Short claims that the policy "unfairly assumes [he] is a bad parent."

"If the schools teach our kids to lie to their parents, implying that we will not accept their identities, how will this impact other areas of our children’s lives?" he wrote.

Patch reached out to the Office of the Attorney General, the State Department of Education, and Cherry Hill Public Schools. All three said they cannot comment on pending litigation.