Joseph and Arlene Kutzko say the school counseled their 15-year-old daughter under the pretext of math tutoring and helped her change her gender identity without their knowledge. In December 2024, the state took custody of the girl, and the parents have been unable to contact her for nearly two years. They are asking to bring her home and to prevent the administration of testosterone. The case has attracted the attention of the Trump administration, and federal prosecutors have intervened in support of parental rights. However, court documents reveal a more complicated side of the story.

(Staff: United States / Justice & Society)

Joseph and Arlene Kutzko

A case that has become a symbol of the debate over parental rights in the United States has unfolded in Southborough, Massachusetts. Joseph and Arlene Kutzko, a devout Catholic couple, have been fighting the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) for nearly two years to regain custody of their daughter, Sophie, now 17, and to prevent the state from administering testosterone as part of gender-transition treatment.

The parents’ account: “We knew nothing until Sophie was taken”

According to statements made by Joseph and Arlene Kutzko on the Fox News podcast “Lighthouse Faith”, their daughter became increasingly withdrawn in 2024. Her parents noticed a change but thought it was an adolescent crisis. They were told that Sophie was staying after school at Algonquin Regional High School for math tutoring. In reality, they claim, she was being secretly counseled by a school counselor about her gender identity.

“I didn’t find out until after Sophie was taken. It came like a tornado,” Joseph Kutzko said. The couple’s lawyer, Vernadette Broyles, president of the Child & Parental Rights Campaign, says the school began using a male name and male pronouns for Sophie without the parents’ knowledge, and that the school counselor reported the family to DCF because she knew the parents, as practicing Catholics, would not support the transition.

Custody and the temporary block on testosterone

In December 2024, DCF took custody of Sophie, who was then 15. Since then, her parents have not been allowed to communicate with her, and a permanent restraining order has been issued against them. Sophie was placed in foster care and enrolled in another school.

The parents and their lawyer succeeded in obtaining a temporary block on the administration of testosterone until a final hearing. “We are pleading with the state: ‘Please, do not give our daughter testosterone,’” Joseph Kutzko said. Broyles argued that high-dose testosterone is not “ordinary” medical care and requires parental consent or court permission.

Trump administration intervention and federal investigation

The case quickly attracted national attention. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a memorandum supporting parental rights, and the U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation to determine whether the Northborough-Southborough school district had violated the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

“Parents should NEVER be kept in the dark about medical decisions related to their children’s gender transition,” the Justice Department said. “When the state tries to come between parents and their children, parents deserve their day in court.”

The school district said it “welcomes and will fully cooperate with any authority investigating this case.”

What court documents say: a more complicated story

Although the parents and their supporters present the case as a straightforward fight over parental rights, court documents reveal a more nuanced picture. According to records from Westborough District Court, Joseph Kutzko was accused of punching his child in the shoulder and pulling her hair during an incident on January 28, 2025. He was also accused of threatening to kill her “because she did not sing in tune at a birthday celebration”. Kutzko was arrested the following day and pleaded not guilty. When setting bail, the judge noted three previous restraining orders against him.

The mother, Arlene Kutzko, was accused of witness intimidation after allegedly pressuring the child to tell the school that she had “exaggerated and that she was stupid”. She allegedly said: “If you sort this out tomorrow, everything will be fine and we won’t be angry.”

In December 2025, a judge ruled that the charges against Joseph Kutzko would be dismissed if he met certain conditions, including anger-management courses, keeping his distance from the child and complying with a restraining order. Arlene also agreed to stay away from the victim.

Governor Maura Healey publicly stated that DCF did not take the child because of her gender identity, but because of the criminal allegations against the parents.

Conclusion

The Kutzko family case has become a focal point in the national debate over parental rights, gender identity and the role of schools. On one side, the parents denounce what they describe as abusive state interference in family life. On the other, court documents contain serious allegations of domestic violence and intimidation that underpinned the court’s decision to separate Sophie from her parents. While the Trump administration and federal prosecutors support the right of parents to decide on the medical care of their children, a Massachusetts judge has temporarily blocked the administration of testosterone, leaving Sophie’s future unresolved. It remains to be seen how the case will develop as parental authority, child protection and the rights of transgender people are weighed.