ADF to 1st Circuit: Protect parents' right to direct upbringing of children

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Kate Anderson, director of the ADF Center for Parental Rights, regarding a friend-of-the-court brief ADF attorneys filed Wednesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. The attorneys filed the brief in the case Lavigne v. Great Salt Bay Community School Board on behalf of Wisconsin mother Tammy Fournier, who filed a lawsuit—which she won—against a school district for violating her rights as a parent:

“Parents have a fundamental right and responsibility to direct their children’s upbringing, education, and healthcare. Great Salt Bay Community School Board administrators violated that right when they withheld vital information from a mother about her child. When schools keep important information secret, parents like Ms. Lavigne can’t decide what’s best for their child, including how best to address any mental health needs. The decision to intervene in a child’s mental health care, like Great Salt Bay did here, should never be made behind a parent’s back. In Ms. Lavigne’s case, the lower court failed to respect this nation’s long history and tradition supporting parents’ right to make decisions—and thus to be informed—about their children’s mental health and education. The state should not keep parents in the dark about their children’s wellbeing. We urge the First Circuit to reverse the lower court’s decision which would allow Ms. Lavigne to vindicate her constitutionally protected freedom to make the best decision for her child.”

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

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