State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has expressed approval for a recent decision by the Arizona Court of Appeals. The court’s ruling permits parents to file lawsuits against public schools that do not inform them when their child wishes to identify as a gender different from their birth sex.
Horne said, “Schools are not substitutes for parents and they have zero right to withhold information that parents are entitled to know.” He emphasized that Arizona law clearly supports parental rights, requiring schools to notify parents if a child wants to be recognized as a different gender.
The Court of Appeals’ unanimous decision allows a lawsuit against the Mesa Unified School District by a parent to continue. Horne remarked, “I am very pleased that the Court made the correct ruling to defend parental rights and remind schools they should follow the law or risk legal action.”
