Montgomery, AL – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined a 22-state coalition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Foote v. Ludlow School Committee, a case centered on parental rights in education. The coalition filed a brief opposing a Massachusetts school district’s policy that permits “social transitioning” of children without notifying or receiving consent from parents.
The case stems from Ludlow Public Schools, where parents Stephen Foote and Marissa Silvestri alleged that school staff referred to their children by new names and pronouns without informing them. The parents argue this violated their right to direct their children’s upbringing. A federal district court upheld the school policy in 2023, a decision later affirmed by the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
The coalition, led by Montana and joined by Alabama and 21 other states, contends that the appeals court ruling undermines parental authority long recognized in American law. Their brief argues that parents have a constitutionally protected right to guide their children’s health, education, and upbringing, and that schools cannot override those rights.
Attorney General Marshall said, “Parents do not surrender their constitutional rights when they send their children to public school. Nor should government bureaucrats be allowed to hide life-altering decisions from mothers and fathers. These actions are especially appalling in light of what Alabama uncovered about the medical industry and radical advocacy groups working to medicalize children. The Supreme Court must make clear for once and for all that parents—not schools with woke ideological agendas—have the ultimate authority over their children.”
The attorneys general argue the First Circuit erred in its judgment by allowing schools to make decisions traditionally reserved for parents, including matters of gender identity. They stress that centuries of legal precedent affirm parental rights as fundamental.
Joining Alabama and Montana in the coalition are West Virginia, Florida, Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Guam.
The Supreme Court has not yet decided whether it will take up the case.
