Family first: Two pivotal rulings for children's education

Overshadowed by the war in the Middle East, two key rulings on family and parenting have tiptoed past the public eye over the past week. The rulings both represent an earthquake in the way of understanding relationships within humans' fundamental nucleus and with respect to schools due to the importance of the contents addressed.

First, the Supreme Court ruled a California law that allowed public schools to conceal students' gender transitions from their parents as unconstitutional. SCOTUS ruled that the policy violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

In the ruling, which went forward with six votes in favor and three against, the Supreme Court majority found that "The state argues that its policies advance a compelling interest in student safety and privacy. But those policies cut out the primary protectors of children’s best interests: their parents. For these reasons, the parents who object to the California policies on free exercise grounds are likely to succeed on the merits. The same is true for the subclass of parents who object tothose policies on due process grounds."

Two female teachers who sued after being forced to choose between work and conscience

The ruling sets a key precedent, as highlighted by the Thomas More Society, which represented the two Californian teachers—Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West—who sued the Escondido Unified School District and the California State Board of Education after being forced to choose between violating their conscience or losing their jobs. After learning of the court's decision, their special counsel Paul M. Jonna noted:

"This is a watershed moment for parental rights in America. The Supreme Court has told California and every state in the nation in no uncertain terms: you cannot secretly transition a child behind a parent’s back. The Court’s landmark reaffirmation of substantive due process, its vindication of religious liberty, and its approval of class-wide relief together set a historic precedent that will dismantle secret gender transition policies across the country."

One family would later join the lawsuit. It involves the parents of a female student who were not informed by educators when their daughter began identifying as a boy and using a male name. When the girl attempted suicide and had to be hospitalized, doctors informed the parents that their daughter identified as a boy at school.

Father found guilty of murder for school shooting by son in Georgia

The second key precedent-setting sentence came in Georgia and has entirely different implications. A jury convicted Colin Gray, 55, on 27 counts: two counts of second-degree murder of a child, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, 18 counts of child cruelty and five counts of reckless conduct, in connection with the September 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School committed by his troubled son Colt—who was 13 at the time of the shooting—that resulted in four fatalities: two 14-year-old students and two teachers.

According to the prosecution, "This case is about this defendant and his actions, allowing a child that he has custody over access to a firearm and ammunition after being warned that that child was going to harm others." The fact that weighed most heavily in the indictment is that Gray purchased a gun from Colt despite his mental issues, his obsession with mass shootings and his repeated warnings that he was going to hurt someone. 

Justice moves to hold parents responsible for sons' crimes

The defense argued that Gray was unaware of his son's violent plans and had taken steps to get him help for his mental health issues. The indictment alleges that his actions constituted "criminal negligence" by "consciously disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk."

The case shows the trend of Justice on the responsibility of parents in children's crimes. In fact, it is a step up on the precedent of James and Jennifer Crumbley, who were sentenced to between 10 and 15 years in prison for "involuntary manslaughter" when their son killed four students in Oxford, Mich.

In Gray's case, the jury found him guilty of second-degree murder, not only manslaughter. He faces a sentence that, aggregating the years for each count of which he has been convicted, could reach 180 years.