17 US Supreme Court ruling on Parents Rights
In 1925, the US Supreme Court unanimously struck down an Oregon law requiring children to attend public schools because the law interfered with the right of parents to select a private or parochial school for their children. Parents have a fundamental constitutional right to rear their children, including the right to determine who shall educate and socialize them:
“The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the State to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only. The child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.” Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 (1925)
“It is cardinal with us that the custody, care and nurture of the child reside first in the parents, whose primary function and freedom include preparation for obligations the state can neither supply nor hinder. . . . It is in recognition of this that these decisions have respected the private realm of family life which the state cannot enter.” Prince v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 321 U.S. 158 (1944)
“The right of the family to remain together without the coercive interference of the awesome power of the state . . .encompasses the reciprocal rights of both parent and child.” The court explained that children have the constitutional right to avoid dislocation from the emotional attachments that derive from the intimacy of daily association with the parent.” Duchesne v. Sugarman, 566 F.2d 817, 825 (2d Cir. 1977).
“In a long line of cases, we have held that, in addition to the specific freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights, the "liberty" specially protected by the Due Process Clause includes the rights . . . to direct the education and upbringing of one's children.” - Washington v. Glucksburg, 521 U.S. 702 (1997)
“The liberty interest at issue in this case-the interest of parents in the care, custody, and control of their children-is perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests recognized by this Court. In light of this extensive precedent, it cannot now be doubted that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protects the fundamental right of parents to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of their children… The Due Process Clause does not permit a State to infringe on the fundamental right of parents to make child rearing decisions simply because a state judge believes a 'better' decision could be made.” - Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57 (2000)
In response to a public school district’s subjection of children to inappropriate and sexually explicit content, the United States House of Representatives affirmed that “the fundamental right of parents to direct the education of their children is firmly grounded in the Nation’s Constitution and traditions.” House Resolution 547 (November 16, 2005)
While 25 states have passed bans on any gender mutilation of minors, on May 22, 2024, the California State Senate passed a bill prohibiting schools from notifying parents of a child’s pronoun change. https://apnews.com/article/california-gender-pronouns-schools-transgender-ccd2c81345428c3c0a5d9e41565598d2
It is likely that if a Democrat majority is elected in 2024, they will pass a similar law in Washington state in 2025. It is also likely that schools will never notify parents as long as Reykdal is State Superintendent.
This is why we have started the Washington Parents Network – to inform parents about the crimes being committed against their kids – and to organize parents into electing representatives who are more aware of the importance of protecting children from gender mutilation and protecting a child’s right to a positive relationship with their parents.