New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy sues school districts over parental rights policies
Fox News' Nate Foy shares parents' reaction on 'Special Report' as New Jersey Democratic governor litigates gender identity policies.
The New York Post editorial board put Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on blast Wednesday, accusing him of possessing a "vast arrogance" on the issue of schools informing parents of their children's gender identity.
"New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy doesn’t think parents have a right to know of major decisions their kids make at school about their gender identities — even as the state pressures staffs to honor the kids’ choices," the piece began.
"Children (whose brains aren’t even fully developed) know best, the Murphy folks believe."
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks during a Get Out The Vote rally with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on October 28, 2021 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Yana Paskova/Getty Images)
The editorial board lambasted New Jersey policy requiring schools to accommodate kids' chosen gender regardless of whether their parents agree with the decision while, at the same time, requiring parents' permission for other, arguably similarly or less important issues, such as "administering medicine," "showing movies" or "offering snacks."
"Under New Jersey law, kids can claim to be any sex they choose — and schools must accommodate them, letting them use any corresponding bathroom, locker room, etc. Even without parental consent… Worse, though, Team Murphy thinks schools shouldn’t even have to tell parents about their kids’ decisions — rather, teachers and other staff should actively deceive Mom and Dad," the article continued.
Following state Attorney General Matt Platkin's emergency lawsuits filed against three school districts – Middletown, Marlboro and Manalapan-Englishtown – on Murphy's behalf, parents rallied outside a courthouse as a judge weighed the decision to block policies requiring schools to inform parents of their child's decision to change his or her gender identity.
Democratic New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin filed emergency lawsuits against the three districts under the Murphy administration's scrutiny. (AP Photo/Mike Catalini, File)
The policies requiring schools to inform parents when a child begins using a different name, pronouns, or a bathroom that contradicts their biological sex, were approved on June 20, directly before Platkin's suits followed, alleging they pose "serious mental health risks" and threaten "physical harm" to kids.
"Telling a parent, Murphy and Platkin pretend, would be ‘outing’ the child, an act of discrimination — even though everyone at school (and so, much of the entire community) would know, since that’s what the kid wants," the Post continued.
The Murphy administration also claims the districts' policies conflict with state Education Department policies on transgender students which say parents should not be informed about what their child does in school.
Caterina Skalaski, a concerned parent, told the outlet she believes the decision to withhold the information from parents like herself is "morally wrong."
"I do not, will not ever co-parent with the government," she said.
NJ STATE SENATOR RIPS ‘OUTRAGEOUS’ GENDER EDUCATION PLAN: IT SHOULD ‘NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY’
Transgender students have become a hot topic in school districts nationwide in recent years. (Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Marc Zitomer, Marlboro school board’s attorney, is quoted as saying that keeping parents in the dark on the issue is "counterintuitive and contrary to well-established Supreme Court case law" that says parents reserve the right to "direct and control the upbringing of their children."
Crowds continue to fill the courtroom, anticipating a ruling on the policies that could soon.
"Parents need school support, not the silent treatment," the editorial board wrote. "New Jersey should be moving to encourage parents’ involvement, not keeping secrets from them. Let teachers worry about teaching; parents have every right to do the parenting."
Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Murphy's communications director and a member of his press office for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
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Fox News' Greg Norman, Joshua Q. Nelson and Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
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