A mom in New York is suing her daughter’s school district after district officials “socially transitioned” her daughter – treating her as a boy – without the mother’s knowledge or consent, while actively hiding it from her.
Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, Syracuse Division on the mother’s behalf.
According to ADF, Jennifer Vitsaxaki discovered that school employees – acting in accordance with district policy – had begun treating her daughter as a boy. The district’s employees “began to refer to her daughter with a masculine name and third-person plural pronouns inconsistent with her daughter’s sex” without notifying Mrs. Vitsaxaki.
When Mrs. Vitsaxaki confronted school officials about their actions, “they defend their actions, citing district policy.”
As a result, after the 2020-2021 school year ended, Vitsaxaki withdrew her daughter from Skaneateles Central School District and enrolled her in a private school.
According to ADF, the district’s actions violate Mrs. Vitsaxaki’s fundamental parental rights, her deeply held religious beliefs and the U.S. Constitution.
“Parents, not the government, have the right to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kate Anderson, director of ADF’s Center for Parental Rights. She continued:
Parents should be able to drop their kids off at school without fear that school staff will conceal critical information or cut them out of weighty decisions with the potential for life-long impact on their kids.
Anderson added:
The Skaneateles Central School District policy in this lawsuit betrays the trust of parents like Mrs. Vitsaxaki and violates their fundamental rights. Not only that, it violates Mrs. Vitsaxaki’s right to exercise her Christian faith by raising her daughter consistent with her sincerely held religious beliefs about human nature, gender, and identity, among other topics.
Because school officials concealed their actions from Mrs. Vitsaxaki, they prevented her from helping her daughter at a time she needed her mother’s loving guidance most. Schools shouldn’t hide important information from parents like Mrs. Vitsaxaki.
The Daily Citizen will keep you updated of important developments in this case.
The case is Vitsaxaki v. Skaneateles Central School District.
Focus on the Family exists to help families, and that includes help navigating the issues of homosexuality and transgenderism. Focus offers a free, one-time counseling consultation with a licensed or pastoral counselor. To request a counseling consultation, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) or fill out our Counseling Consultation Request Form.
Related articles and resources:
Counseling Consultation & Referrals
Addressing Gender Identity with Honesty and Compassion
The Journey Back to My True Identity
Transgenderism and Minors: What Does the Research Really Show?
