two prominent Republican state lawmakers are backing families opposed to the attorney general's so-called parental rights lawsuit Senators Mike Testa and Doug steinhardt recently filed motions to intervene on behalf of school districts in Middletown Marlborough Manalapan and Hanover that's where the Attorney General's office is challenging approved policies requiring parental notification when a child requests school records to be changed to reflect a different gender will parental rights have become a controversial issue in New Jersey and across the country Senators Tessa and steinhardt say the state's lawsuit deprives parents of the fundamental right to raise their children and they join me now Senators thank you both for joining me it's really good to see you let me just ask you first and Senator steinhardt I'll start with you why you're getting involved well and look as a parent of two children myself I feel like I'm obligated the Attorney General's lawsuit specifically the Democratic strategy here presupposes that I think parents are inherently bad that is contrary to centuries of Supreme Court jurisprudence I mean parents have a god-given right to to protect and nurture and raise their children and it's ironic from my perspective because I think the AG's lawsuit is the thing that singles out and discriminates against this very small section of of the population by creating silos of parents and schools and children and I think that Democrats are learning or are seeing that that new jerseyans are generally tolerant of tax increases and and wasteful spending and even a little bit of corruption but when you start meddling with their families and their children uh that they're not going to stand for it neither am I and I know Senator Tesla isn't either yeah I mean Senator test a superior court judge has already intervened here and these rules are on hold for now meaning uh the schools can't enact any of these policies and so so uh why then choose This legal route because we we have heard from countless parents throughout the state that want something to be done and as Senator steinhardt already elucidated were both parents and we feel obligated to join into this lawsuit to be those parents voices as Senator steinhardt earlier said that you know the AG's position presupposes that parents are intolerant and potentially abusive and you know growing up I went to public schools in Vineland New Jersey which eventually became Abbott district schools you know parents were requested all of the time by administrators and teachers to be more heavily involved in their children's lives here we're dealing with an Administration that presupposes that parents are abusive and that it is okay for a school and administrators to keep a secret with students from their own parents I mean this is pretty insane if you ask me whoever thought that people would be arguing in favor of a school to be able to keep a secret with a student away from their parents well as the language is is written Senator I mean each school district of course has their own policies those and the Shore area there Manalapan Middletown et cetera and those in Morris County they all have different policies but there are clauses that parents should be notified when a potential harm could be happening to the students so why not allow for that secrecy as you say you've heard from constituents who are either obviously want to be involved and want to know but there are also constituents yes who say that that perhaps the students should have autonomy and that there are students whose lives would be threatened oh I think that presupposes that that's the case it presupposes that parents aren't capable of participating in those discussions it presupposes uh that the state or school is better situated than parents do to to have knowledge uh or notice of what's going on in their in their children's lives and at the end of the day whether it's about trans students or whether it's about you didn't do your homework or whether or not it's about uh some other thing that's going on in a child's life some other health or safety issue the fact of the matter is that at the end of the day all this is really about uh is notice an estate seeking to deprive parents of notice about what's going on in their children's lives that's why we're involved and I think that's what at the end of the day uh carries the argument in favor of the millions of parents in this state the ability to have notice of what's going on and participate in what's going on in their children's lives Senator Testa what about the onus on Educators here they're sort of in the crosshairs we all know this has become a really contentious issue but is there a concern about Breaking the Bond the trust that students and teachers built I don't think that that's a bond that you know Senator steinhardt or I are looking to break however there are certain subjects that only should be had between either a student and a counselor or a student and their parents you know I really question what the Murphy Administration and the Attorney General are attempting to do here it really sounds to me that they want parents to raise strangers they want parents to clothe their children feed their children shelter their children but God forbid they're actually know their own children and have a say in the direction of their child's lives and who better than parents to be able to walk their children through the difficulties that they are facing being inundated with social media being inundated with all types of information that is constantly being thrown at them through the fire hose of social media you know those dinner table conversations are absolutely necessary between parents and their children and again this presuppose is that parents are not understanding that they are going to be abusive to a child without any due process whatsoever so does Senator steinhardt's point this is about notice why can't parents be notified of something that is happening with their own child I mean I look at this from a perspective as an attorney you know a police officer is not allowed to even question a child about an alleged crime without their parents being notified and giving a waiver to allow a police officer to speak to their child but in an issue such as this at a school with no notice whatsoever no due process whatsoever the school is able to keep secrets from parents I mean this is purely insane and is a page right out of you know Saul linsky's Rules for Radicals Senator uh Tessa let me just stay with you for a moment is there a notion that or do you believe in this notion that a non-binary or a transgender non-conforming student that that's an issue that needs to be helped needs to be helped I mean look I think it's something that should be discussed between the parents and the child and I don't think it's ever okay for an adult that is not the parent of a child to keep a secret from the parents that's called grooming that's something that we always want to make sure does not happen in society it's not okay for people who aren't the parents of a child or student to keep secrets about that child from their parents this is something that should be discussed with parents and work through with parents and if that child is you know seriously considering that they are non-binary or trans then that's something that they should work with through counseling with their parents their counselor and the children heavily involved that should not be for a school administrator or a teacher to decide Senator steinhardt uh very quickly last question to you where do you go from here I know you said your office has been inundated that there are parents who are concerned about similar policy is being intervened on by the state what's your next step from here you've obviously you know filed the legal action yeah I think Senator test and I are prepared to take this as far as it goes I mean we've willing to we're willing to walk in lockstep uh with New Jersey parents who believe the same thing that we do or we believe the same thing that they do uh and I think we've both tried to enunciate that as clearly as we can which is that parents have a god-given right uh to protect and raise their kids their way uh and the state does not have the right to step in and to serve that responsibility from parents especially in the way that they seek to do it here Senators Doug steinhardt and Mike Testa thank you so much for your time thank you for having us