Steinhardt, Testa seek to intervene as opponents of AG’s parental rights lawsuit

Two Republican state senators are getting involved in the attorney general’s civil rights lawsuit against three Monmouth County school districts and one in Morris who approved policies that require parental notification when a child requests school records be changed to reflect a different gender.

Douglas Steinhardt (R-Lopatcong) and Michael Testa, Jr. (R-Vineland), both attorneys, argue that the attorney general, Matt Platkin, is depriving parents of the right to raise their children free of government interference in his actions against Middletown, Marlboro, Manalapan-Englishtown, and Hanover.

“I’m entering this fight because my family and thousands of my constituents were shocked and appalled when the State launched this attack on the fundamental right of parents to raise their kids,” said Steinhardt. “I can’t sit by idly while an activist Attorney General abuses the power of his office by trying to assert the State’s will over the God-given rights of good parents everywhere to protect and love their own children. It’s wrong, and they won’t be silenced – not on my watch.”

Testa said that “raising your kids is a fundamental right that no unelected liberal politician in Trenton will take away from New Jersey families on my watch.”

“The idea that bureaucrats in Trenton are in a better position to raise our children than the parents of New Jersey is straight out of Saul Alinsky’s handbook,” stated Testa.  “We have always been told that it is wholly inappropriate for adults to keep secrets with children that are not their own. Here, the state’s argument contends that it is perfectly appropriate for the State to have a secret with a child which excludes the child’s parents.”

Steinhardt and Testa will argue that the interests of parents in their two legislative districts are not represented in this lawsuit as the reason why a judge should permit them to intervene as amicus curiae.   The two senators represent over 435,000 New Jerseyans in different regions of the state.

Their attorney is Michael Lavery, a former Republican state chairman.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony M. Bucco has called the attorney general’s lawsuit “an obstruction of parental rights.”

Parental rights have become a front-seat issue in key races that could determine control of the New Jersey Legislature in this year’s midterm elections.

A Monmouth University poll released this week says 77% of New Jersey residents think middle schools and high schools must notify parents if their child seeks to change their gender identification on school records.  Nearly eight in ten New Jerseyans are paying attention to the issue, the poll said.

Early this week, State Sen. Jim Holzapfel (R-Toms River) and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin (R-Toms River) and John Catalano (R-Brick) asked for a special session of the legislature so they can introduce parental rights legislation.

State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Montville) also joined the call for a special session.

“If Governor Murphy believes that suing schools into submission and taking rights away from parents is the right thing to do, then the legislature must step in and defend parental rights,” Pennacchio said.

Steinhardt said the issue is on the minds of his constituents.

“My district office has been inundated with calls from outraged constituents who fear for their family’s future in New Jersey,” he said.  “I take very seriously the oath I swore to protect the Constitution of the United States and State of New Jersey.”

Superior Court Judge David Bauman signed an injunction on the school districts’ policies – meaning that, for now, these new policies will not be in effect when the school year begins.