New Jersey School District Sued in Federal Court Over Controversial Parental Rights Policy
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Chatham NJ , A major legal battle over parental rights in New Jersey public schools has reached federal court. The Thomas More Society, acting on behalf of Moms for Liberty, has filed a federal lawsuit against the School District of the Chathams Board of Education in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
The lawsuit directly challenges the district’s Policy 5145.7, which allows school staff to conceal a student’s social gender transition from parents and mandates the use of preferred pronouns, names, and gender identities without parental notification or consent.
Legal Challenge Cites Recent U.S. Supreme Court Rulings
The legal action follows the district’s refusal to rescind or modify the policy despite warnings referencing recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings, including Mirabelli v. Bonta and Mahmoud v. Taylor. These decisions affirmed that public school policies interfering with a parent’s right to direct the moral and religious upbringing of their children violate constitutional protections under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
“When Thomas More Society prevailed at the Supreme Court, we made a promise: any school board or district that kept hiding a child’s so-called ‘gender transition’ from parents… would be held accountable,” said Christopher Ferrara, Senior Counsel at Thomas More Society.
According to the verified complaint, Board President Ann Ciccarelli stated during a June 15, 2026 public meeting that the Mirabelli decision was “not binding on public school districts in New Jersey”—a stance the lawsuit argues is legally flawed and demonstrates explicit defiance of federal precedent.
Core Allegations Against Policy 5145.7
The lawsuit alleges that Policy 5145.7 infringes upon the First Amendment’s Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses, as well as the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, by:
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Withholding Information: Allowing school counselors sole discretion to withhold a student’s gender transition from parents.
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Facilities & Athletics Access: Permitting mixed-sex participation in sports, locker rooms, and changing areas based on self-declared gender identity without prior notice to families.
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Compelled Speech: Disciplining students and parents under “harassment, intimidation, or bullying” rules for failing to use preferred names and pronouns, even for speech occurring off campus.
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Third-Party Referrals: Directing students to external advocacy groups without parental knowledge or consent.
Demands for Injunction and Policy Reform
Moms for Liberty and the Thomas More Society are requesting that the federal court declare Policy 5145.7 unconstitutional and issue an injunction against its enforcement until parental notice and consent requirements are established.
“Parents are the primary educators and caregivers of their children, not school boards, not counselors, and not ideologues pushing secret gender transitions behind closed doors,” stated Tina Descovich, CEO & Co-Founder of Moms for Liberty.
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Wow
How do parents in ritzy Chatham put up with this?