Chathams school board settles lawsuit over transgender student notification policy

The School District of the Chathams has agreed to abandon a policy allowing school officials to withhold information from parents about their children’s gender transitions, settling a federal lawsuit brought by Moms for Liberty.

The Board of Education voted 7-0 on October 12 to approve a settlement prohibiting the district from reinstating the policy or adopting a substantially similar replacement.

The agreement, filed in U.S. District Court on October 15, ends litigation the conservative Thomas More Society filed in August on behalf of Moms for Liberty.

Under the settlement, the district must comply with U.S. Supreme Court precedents recognizing parental rights, including Mirabelli v. Bonta, a March decision addressing school policies concerning transgender students.

Every current and future district employee must receive a copy of the agreement.

The disputed policy, adopted in 2024, permitted school counselors to determine whether parents should be informed when students requested recognition of a gender identity different from their biological sex.

The board had already eliminated the policy in September when it replaced its policy manual, but the settlement provides a written commitment that it will not reinstate it.

At a June meeting, Board President Ann Ciccarelli maintained that the Supreme Court’s Mirabelli decision did not bind New Jersey school districts.

Christopher Ferrara, senior counsel for the Thomas More Society, called the settlement a victory for parental rights.

“No school has the authority to transition a child behind his or her parents’ backs,” Ferrara said.

The agreement also requires any future policy to comply with applicable state and federal laws and Supreme Court precedent.

Moms for Liberty agreed to dismiss its lawsuit with prejudice, preventing it from bringing the same claims again. Each side will pay its own legal expenses.