The Sconi

The American Principles Project (APP) recently released a new ad highlighting a recent lawsuit by parents filed against the Eau Claire Area School District over their transgender policy, which did not require parental notifications.

APP argues that if elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Judge Janet Protasiewicz, a self-described progressive, will enforce progressive gender ideology from the bench at the expense of parental rights.

"Parental rights are under attack nationwide, including in Wisconsin," president of American Principles Project Terry Schilling said. "Many school districts, for example, have implemented policies allowing officials to facilitate gender transitions for kids without their parents' knowledge and even forbidding parents from being notified. This anti-family assault is unconscionable. Fortunately, some parents have begun to fight back, suing the school districts hiding information from them, such as in Eau Claire."

Whether the lawsuits succeed, however, could depend on the makeup of the state Supreme Court, which is why this upcoming election is so important, Schilling said.

"APP PAC is committed to ensuring Wisconsin voters, including most crucially its parents, understand the stakes of their vote on April 4 as well as the serious risk to parental rights posed by Judge Janet Protasiewicz," Schilling said. "This is a race Wisconsin families cannot afford to lose."

The new APP ad states that "Wisconsin schools are attacking parents' rights. Radical activists want kids to start transgender therapies without parental consent. The extreme groups endorsing Janet Protasiewicz aim to take away parental rights and impose transgender ideology on our kids."

The ad references a lawsuit filed by parents against the Eau Claire Area School District over a district policy that instructed staff on how to handle students gender identity. According to The Associated Press, the policy states that "School personnel should speak with the student first before discussing a student’s gender nonconformity or transgender status with the student’s parent/guardian." The group of parents, Parents Protecting Our Children, filed their lawsuit in federal court arguing that the school's policy violated constitutional protections for parental rights and religious freedom.

ABC News reported that during a training session in the Eau Claire Area School District, teachers were told "Remember, parents are not entitled to know their kids’ identities. That knowledge must be earned."

APP argues that Protasiewicz's endorsements from progressive groups that support transgender ideology, like the Human Rights Campaign and Planned Parenthood, should give Wisconsin parents an indication of how Protasiewicz would rule on key issues related to the rights of parents.

While Protasiewicz has not indicated how she would rule on a case like the Eau Claire lawsuit, she has stated her views, generally, telling Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR), "[Y]es, I am very, very progressive when it comes to social issues."

WPR also reports that last session, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued more 4-3 decisions than at any time in the last 70 years. Therefore, if elected, Protasiewicz's decision on any case related to this issue, among many others, could likely be the deciding vote.