The U.S. Department of Education is investigating a Massachusetts school district over reports that officials worked to socially transition a trans-identified teenager without her Catholic parents’ consent and took steps to remove the girl from their custody after they objected. “According to the student’s parents, school personnel at Algonquin Regional High School helped facilitate their daughter’s so-called ‘social transition’ to a boy without informing them,” the department said in an announcement.
“The parents claim that their daughter participated in counseling sessions after school to support the transition while they were under the impression she was receiving academic assistance for her math class.” The department contends that FERPA requires schools to allow parents to access their children’s education records and make changes to those records.
Schools are also required to "provide a hearing if the school rejects the changes." "PPRA requires schools to receive written consent from parents if they plan to conduct any evaluation, survey, or analysis on students regarding their or their family’s mental health, sex behaviors and attitudes, religious beliefs or any other invasive sensitive subjects outlined in the statute," the Education Department statement reads.
The student’s parents, Joseph and Arlene Kutzko, were reported to the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) after they objected to the school’s actions and declined to treat their daughter Sophie as a boy. DCF took custody of Sophie in December 2024 at age 15, and a restraining order put in place by the agency prevents communication between the teen and her family.
The Kutzkos, who oppose gender ideology as contrary to their Catholic faith, are suing state officials over their daughter’s removal. A judge has temporarily blocked Sophie from receiving testosterone. A hearing in the custody case is scheduled for Oct. 29.