A New Jersey school district faces a lawsuit accusing it of hiding students’ gender identity changes from parents despite a recent Supreme Court ruling.
New Jersey school district faces lawsuit over gender policy
A New Jersey school district is facing a federal lawsuit over a policy that critics say allows students to change their names and gender identities at school without automatically notifying their parents.
The lawsuit targets the School District of the Chathams and challenges a policy that allows students to use school records, bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity. Under the policy, a school guidance counselor determines whether parents are informed and how much information is shared with them.
The legal challenge comes after a March 2026 Supreme Court ruling involving California that opponents of the Chathams policy say limits schools’ ability to keep such information from parents.
Lawsuit invokes Supreme Court ruling
The lawsuit was filed Aug. 24 by Moms for Liberty, two anonymous parents and other plaintiffs represented by the Thomas More Society.
Christopher Ferrara, senior counsel for the Thomas More Society, argues that the Supreme Court’s decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta gives parents standing to challenge policies that conceal a child’s gender transition from them.
Ferrara told Fox News Digital that the Supreme Court’s March order recognized that parents can challenge policies affecting their ability to direct their children’s upbringing, even when their own child is not currently transitioning.
The plaintiffs argue that the Chathams policy violates constitutional protections involving parental rights, free speech, religious liberty and due process.
What the Chathams policy allows
According to the lawsuit and Fox News reporting, students can request changes to their names and gender identity at school without an automatic requirement that parents be notified.
The policy also addresses access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity.
Critics argue the policy gives school personnel too much authority over decisions they believe should involve parents.
Tina Descovich, co-founder and CEO of Moms for Liberty, also alleged that students could face disciplinary consequences for refusing to use another student’s chosen name or pronouns.
The district has been contacted for comment on the lawsuit.
Chatham board disputes Supreme Court’s reach
The controversy intensified after a June 15, 2026, school board meeting.
Ann Ciccarelli, president of the Chatham School District Board of Education, said the district did not consider itself legally bound by the Mirabelli decision and instead was required to follow New Jersey Department of Education guidance issued in 2018.
That position has become a central issue in the lawsuit.
The Thomas More Society argues that the Supreme Court’s ruling applies to the constitutional rights at issue and that the district cannot simply disregard the decision.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has separately acknowledged that the state’s 2018 transgender-student guidance is not mandatory, according to NJ Spotlight News as cited by Fox News.
Supreme Court ruling adds to national debate
The Chathams dispute is part of a broader national battle over parental rights, school policies and transgender students.
In Mirabelli v. Bonta, the Supreme Court issued an emergency order concerning California policies that restricted schools from disclosing a student’s gender identity or transition to parents. The decision has become a major point of contention in disputes over whether public schools can maintain such confidentiality.
The case has also drawn comparisons to Mahmoud v. Taylor, another Supreme Court decision involving parental rights and LGBTQ-related material in public schools.
In Mahmoud, the Court ruled that certain parents were entitled to opt their children out of lessons that conflicted with their religious beliefs.
Supporters of the Chathams policy, meanwhile, argue that transgender students may need privacy protections, particularly when disclosure could create safety or family-related concerns.
Lawsuit could have broader implications
The federal case could ultimately test how far schools can go in protecting a student’s gender identity from parental disclosure after the Supreme Court’s recent decisions.
For critics, the central question is whether public schools can make decisions involving a child’s identity without parental involvement.
For supporters of student privacy, the issue is whether schools should be required to disclose sensitive personal information when doing so could place some students at risk.
The dispute therefore reaches beyond one New Jersey school district. Its outcome could influence how other school systems interpret their responsibilities toward parents and transgender students as courts continue to define the boundaries of parental rights.
The Chathams lawsuit remains ongoing, and the allegations against the district have not been finally adjudicated.
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