March 15, 2025
By Rachel Schnepf
Mary & Jeremy Cox had their child taken from them by Child Protective Services of Indiana. There were no signs of physical abuse or neglect. The complaint raised against them was that based on their religious beliefs, they refused to refer to their biological son as a female.
After years of court cases and appeals, the family was never granted custody of their child again, even though the abuse charges were dropped by CPS. They appealed to the Supreme Court in 2023 to take up their case, but were denied admittance. What is so heartbreaking, as well as terrifying, is the Indiana Courts allowed the removal of their child because they felt they knew what was best for that child, more than their parents.
What happened to parental rights in this scenario? They flew out the window along with the rights of many other parents.
In a recent article by the National Review, they reported that the Federal Appeals Court ruled in favor of schools being able to conceal from parents their child’s gender transitions occurring at school. In one case, not only were they affirming them in their transition, but also providing information through videos and reading materials. All of these things were done without informing the parents and receiving written permission.
According to Miriam Grossman, M.D., in her book titled Lost in Trans Nation, she states that the Federal Government and the Department of Education are using the civil rights law, Title IX, to push through the transgender movement and ideology. But this is a gross overreach as this law only prohibits discrimination based on the sex of a child in schools. Not their gender identity or their sexual preferences. One of the responsibilities of educators is to make sure students are not discriminated against or bullied in any way (as part of Title IX). This opens the door for transgender individuals to have their way in schools, like using their preferred bathrooms, locker rooms, and making sure everyone in the school adheres to how that child wants to be addressed.
Parents are responsible for and have the natural rights to care for and educate their children. They have the right to know what their children are learning in school and also have the ability to keep a certain curriculum away from their children if it does not align with their family beliefs.
The idea that a child can be learning something in school that may be against the parent’s wishes, and then purposely concealed from them by the school, is preposterous and against the law. As you can see in some of the examples above, courts are finding ways around the law.
How can a parent learn if these sorts of ideologies and teachings are going on in their child’s schools, and what can they actually do about it?
One of the main things a parent can do is to remember they are in charge of their child, not the school, and not the government. Parents know their children better than anyone else!
Finding out what is being taught at the child’s school is important as well, and this can be accomplished by asking those in charge hard questions. Ask teachers and administrators what their stance is as at school as well as what the protocol is when situations like a child wanting to transition is. Most parents are able to look up transgender policies in public schools for their state.
In the state of Colorado, they have guidelines that explain to educators what they are to do when a child decides to transition to another gender. In the case of Colorado, they do not have to tell the child’s parents if the child feels they will be met with resistance or negativity. In the state of Virginia, their guidelines expand parental rights and declare that parents have the right to know what is going on with their children at school, so they are in formed if their child wants to transition. So it is a parent’s responsibility to do research and ask questions so they know their school’s stance on parental rights and transgenderism.
Another way a parent can help protect their children is by teaching them correct principles. The Family Research Council created a brochure on how parents can talk to their children about gender ideologies. The Minnesota Family Council has also put together a brochure to help parents understand how the transgender movement has been ingrained into the school systems and what they can do about it. The transgender movement has been spreading at a rapid pace and it has inched its way into many facets of our children’s lives. It shouldn’t be promoted anywhere, but especially not in schools. Parents should not feel as if they have no control over it- they are in charge! If they all work together, they can truly make a difference.
