Defending Education supports appeal for reversal in Skaneateles School District case

On June 11, 2025, Defending Education submitted an amicus brief in support of the appellant in the case Vitsaxaki v. Skaneateles Central School District et al. The organization is a national nonprofit membership association that includes many parents with school-aged children. Established in 2021, Defending Education aims to combat the increasing politicization and indoctrination within K-12 and postsecondary education through advocacy, disclosure, and litigation.

The organization expressed its interest in this case due to concerns about parental rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. According to Defending Education, "the logic of the district court’s decision deprives parents, including members of Defending Education, of this fundamental right on intensely personal matters of gender identity."

Defending Education argues that there is a rise in policies allowing school personnel to facilitate social transitions for young children without parental knowledge. They claim these transitions involve changes such as new names and pronouns for children and are implemented secretly by schools. The organization states that "nearly a quarter of the nation’s students are subject to these policies" and warns against what they see as potentially harmful consequences.

The brief highlights that most children who socially transition may proceed to more invasive interventions like puberty blockers or surgeries. Defending Education asserts that if parental rights protect anything, it should be against state-sanctioned transitions without parental consent.

The organization argues that courts often leave parents with no recourse when challenging school policies related to these issues. They assert that challenges are dismissed as speculative or seen as impermissible challenges to school instruction even when unrelated to classroom teaching.

Defending Education calls for a reversal of the district court's decision to address what they perceive as a deprivation of parents' rights.