Parental rights are more vulnerable than you think.
Parental rights are more vulnerable than you think.
THE THREAT IS REAL
“This is my child. I’m not asking for your permission.”
Those are the words of a mother determined to protect her daughter as the local school said it would openly defy her wishes on how best to help the young girl.
That’s when she called on Alliance Defending Freedom.
We’ve been defending parental rights for years—because God designed parents to know and love their children best, and the law must protect their right to direct their kids’ upbringing.
WATCH
The true stories
These parents trusted their schools.
But the schools weren’t telling them everything.
Real parents.
Real kids.
Read more of their stories in the case files below.
STAY INFORMED
Parents should never be bystanders in their kids’ lives.
Find out more about how you can protect your child from this growing threat in our free guide.
OUR MISSION
Alliance Defending Freedom is taking this threat head-on.
Why? Because parents have the God-given right and responsibility to raise and educate their children. When anyone—a school counselor, teacher, or district official—tries to stand in the way, we’re here to tell them that the law says no.
This is about what’s best for kids.
Alliance Defending Freedom has been at the tip of the spear on this issue, working in courtrooms all across the country to uphold parental rights. We’ve been fighting and winning battles just like this since 1994, with a proven track record of success.
- We represent families in court at no cost to them. Not one parent has ever paid us a dollar to protect their rights—that’s our commitment.
- We’ve been laying the groundwork for years: filing lawsuits to hold schools accountable, challenging policies that exclude parents, representing parents in court—and winning.
- We will keep advocating for justice, because kids and parents deserve better.
Parents should never be shut out of decisions about their children’s upbringing, education, or healthcare. Until that’s true everywhere, someone has to stand with them. That’s what your support helps make possible.
AROUND THE COUNTRY
Where it’s happening right now
Colorado
Joe Wailes didn’t see the phone call coming.
His daughter was on an overnight field trip with the school, hundreds of miles from home.
The school had assigned her to share a hotel room with a boy. They were supposed to share a bed.
He was shocked that the school would put his little girl in that position. It had to be a mistake. But Joe and his wife, Serena, quickly found out it was not a mistake. It was—and still is—school policy.
The policy allows trip leaders to room kids on overnight trips based on their self-expressed “gender identity,” not biological sex.
So if a boy identifies as a girl and wants to room with the girls, the school can make it happen.
And even worse: Parents are kept in the dark.
Joe and Serena Wailes, along with several other families, are challenging the school policy in a federal lawsuit.
Massachusetts
When Stephen Foote and Marissa Silvestri learned that their young daughter was struggling with her self-image, they did everything they could to help her.
They found her a private counselor and told the school that they were handling the matter as a family. They specifically told the school not to have private conversations with their daughter about it.
The school interfered anyway. In fact, the school had been driving a wedge between the parents and child for a while.
Kids were encouraged to announce their “gender identity” and “preferred pronouns” as part of class projects. Their daughter received unsolicited pro-LGBT material on her school computer.
Then staff started socially transitioning Stephen and Marissa’s daughter—without asking their permission.
They defied the parents’ instructions by conducting regular, private meetings with their daughter. They treated her as “genderqueer” and referred to her using a male name and fake pronouns at school.
But when speaking with the parents, staff used the girl’s real name and pronouns.
A concerned teacher finally told them the truth.
Stephen and Marissa filed a lawsuit that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which unfortunately declined to hear the case.
Other families are still pressing forward to make sure the courts answer that question.
Washington
When Konstantin Averkiev’s nine-year-old son came home from his Kirkland, Washington, elementary school talking about a lesson on “gender change” surgery, it was the first his father had heard of it.
It wasn’t supposed to work that way. At the start of the school year, Konstantin had sat down with his son’s teacher, explained his Christian faith, and asked for advance notice before any lesson on LGBTQ+-related topics so that he could opt his son out.
The teacher agreed, at the time.
Then his son sat through the lesson anyway—and no one told him.
When Konstantin asked the Lake Washington School District to make sure it wouldn’t happen again, the district refused most of his opt-out requests in writing. It would not give him notice or an opt-out from LGBTQ+ instruction and requirements that conflict with his Christian faith.
Now Konstantin is suing to protect his parental rights. The Constitution doesn’t let a public school force a parent to choose between their child’s education and raising that child according to their beliefs.
Colorado
Joe Wailes didn’t see the phone call coming.
His daughter was on an overnight field trip with the school, hundreds of miles from home.
The school had assigned her to share a hotel room with a boy. They were supposed to share a bed.
He was shocked that the school would put his little girl in that position. It had to be a mistake. But Joe and his wife, Serena, quickly found out it was not a mistake. It was—and still is—school policy.
The policy allows trip leaders to room kids on overnight trips based on their self-expressed “gender identity,” not biological sex.
So if a boy identifies as a girl and wants to room with the girls, the school can make it happen.
And even worse: Parents are kept in the dark.
Joe and Serena Wailes, along with several other families, are challenging the school policy in a federal lawsuit.
Massachusetts
When Stephen Foote and Marissa Silvestri learned that their young daughter was struggling with her self-image, they did everything they could to help her.
They found her a private counselor and told the school that they were handling the matter as a family. They specifically told the school not to have private conversations with their daughter about it.
The school interfered anyway. In fact, the school had been driving a wedge between the parents and child for a while.
Kids were encouraged to announce their “gender identity” and “preferred pronouns” as part of class projects. Their daughter received unsolicited pro-LGBT material on her school computer.
Then staff started socially transitioning Stephen and Marissa’s daughter—without asking their permission.
They defied the parents’ instructions by conducting regular, private meetings with their daughter. They treated her as “genderqueer” and referred to her using a male name and fake pronouns at school.
But when speaking with the parents, staff used the girl’s real name and pronouns.
A concerned teacher finally told them the truth.
Stephen and Marissa filed a lawsuit that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which unfortunately declined to hear the case.
Other families are still pressing forward to make sure the courts answer that question.
Washington
When Konstantin Averkiev’s nine-year-old son came home from his Kirkland, Washington, elementary school talking about a lesson on “gender change” surgery, it was the first his father had heard of it.
It wasn’t supposed to work that way. At the start of the school year, Konstantin had sat down with his son’s teacher, explained his Christian faith, and asked for advance notice before any lesson on LGBTQ+-related topics so that he could opt his son out.
The teacher agreed, at the time.
Then his son sat through the lesson anyway—and no one told him.
When Konstantin asked the Lake Washington School District to make sure it wouldn’t happen again, the district refused most of his opt-out requests in writing. It would not give him notice or an opt-out from LGBTQ+ instruction and requirements that conflict with his Christian faith.
Now Konstantin is suing to protect his parental rights. The Constitution doesn’t let a public school force a parent to choose between their child’s education and raising that child according to their beliefs.
MYTH vs TRUTH
“This would never happen at our school.”
If you ask the parents we represent, most of them would say they believed the same thing. They had good relationships with the schools and staff. They partnered with the schools, and they were involved in their children’s education.
But the schools weren’t partnering with them.
The schools were following policies that intentionally kept parents in the dark about serious matters—like their children’s health and well-being.
They’re violating parents’ fundamental rights. And it’s happening all over the country.
A few important questions
Despite what we’re seeing in many schools right now, parents have the God-given right and responsibility to raise and educate their kids — and the Constitution protects that right.
It can be hard to believe that your child’s school would violate your trust. But it’s more widespread than you think: by some estimates, at least 6,000 schools have secret social transition policies. Ask your local district about its policies on parental notification and opt-outs to see if they’re respecting your rights.
The law is on your side. In March 2026, the Supreme Court recognized that parents have the right not to be excluded from important mental-health decisions (such as whether to socially transition a child to a different gender). And in 2025, it upheld parents’ Free Exercise right to direct their children’s religious development, specifically through parental notification and opt-out policies in school.
The science is on your side, too. Nearly every independent government review—from the UK’s Cass Review to reviews in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, Canada, and the U.S.—has reached the same conclusion: The evidence never supported “transitioning” minors. And a growing number of doctors and medical associations agree — the so-called “consensus” in favor of transitioning doesn’t hold up at all under scrutiny.
It can be overwhelming to know where to start. ADF created a parental “action plan” to help you. You can even find a sample letter to use when writing an opt-out request to your child’s school.
Parents should never be bystanders in their kids’ lives. Friends like you help make it possible for Alliance Defending Freedom to advocate for their rights.
TAKE ACTION
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You’ll get practical insights on what to look for in your child’s school, what to ask to make sure your rights—and theirs—are protected, and what you can do to make sure you stay in the driver’s seat of your child’s education and healthcare.