Schools Must Not Hijack Parental Rights: The Christin Heaps Case and the Battle for the Family

Photo Credit: New Jersey 101.5 News

Schools have long been pillars of American society, entrusted by communities to assist—not replace—parents in the moral and educational development of their children. But a dangerous trend is sweeping across the country: public schools adopting policies that prioritize a student’s self-proclaimed “gender identity” over biological reality—all without parental consent.

This isn’t a fringe issue. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recently noted that more than 1,000 school districts nationwide have adopted policies that permit or even mandate school officials to treat children according to a new gender identity—while keeping that information secret from the child’s parents.

These policies are not just misguided—they’re unconstitutional. Parental rights do not end at the schoolhouse gate. Yet time and again, we are seeing schools act as if they know best, excluding the very people who love and understand children most: their parents.

The Heaps Family: A Case Study in Overreach

One such case is unfolding right here in New Jersey. Christin Heaps, a devoted father from Hunterdon County, has become the face of parental resistance to these dangerous policies. After the tragic loss of his daughter’s mother, Heaps had been diligently working with mental health professionals to care for his daughter, who had been struggling with grief, anxiety, and gender dysphoria.

But halfway through her freshman year at Delaware Valley Regional High School, Heaps learned—by accident—that the school had been referring to his daughter by a masculine name and male pronouns without his knowledge or consent. The school had conducted what’s known as a “social transition,” treating his daughter as a boy in all school-related matters, while deliberately hiding this from her father.

When Heaps confronted the school, he was told that Policy 5756, a 2018 state directive, requires schools to affirm a child’s gender identity upon request, even if that means concealing it from parents. School officials insisted that they were legally bound to disregard his objections.

As any loving father would, Heaps acted to protect his daughter. He removed her from the school and placed her in a home instruction program. But the damage had already been done. And the policy remained in place. With the help of Alliance Defending Freedom and Murray-Nolan Berutti LLC, Heaps filed a federal lawsuit, demanding an end to the unconstitutional policy and a restoration of his parental rights.

Where the Case Stands

In November 2024, the U.S. District Court denied Heaps’ request for a preliminary injunction. The court outrageously found no constitutional violation, claiming the school simply followed the student’s request.

But this isn’t a simple matter of name choice. This is about a government institution usurping parental authority, intervening in a child’s mental health without the informed involvement of the parent, and obstructing the ongoing therapeutic care that Heaps had arranged for his daughter.

Now, the case is before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, where Heaps is asking the court to recognize what common sense and the Constitution already affirm: that parents, not bureaucrats, are the ones who should decide how best to raise, guide, and care for their children.

A Statewide and National Battle

This isn’t just a local issue—it’s a national bellwether. The outcome of Heaps v. Delaware Valley Regional High School Board of Education could impact the legality of similar policies in school districts across America. It’s already drawn national attention, with 22 states filing amicus briefs in support of Heaps, and major LGBTQ advocacy groups sounding the alarm.

Yet this issue goes far deeper than politics. It touches the soul of our nation—what kind of country are we becoming if schools can deceive parents under the guise of “protection”? If they can treat struggling children as political pawns rather than human beings in need of compassion, truth, and unity with their families?

The Bottom Line: Parents Must Not Be Left in the Dark

The state has no right to override the God-given and constitutionally protected authority of parents. A father caring for a daughter in crisis should be supported by the school—not undermined. Teachers and counselors are educators, not substitute parents. They are accountable to families, not the other way around.

If we allow these secretive “transition” policies to stand, we are normalizing a system where government takes precedence over family, where ideology trumps biology, and where parental love is treated as a threat rather than a lifeline.

The Center for Garden State Families stands unequivocally with Christin Heaps and with every parent fighting for the right to raise their child according to truth, faith, and family.

Let this case be a rallying cry. Our children are not wards of the state. They belong to their families—and to God.