A Catholic couple in Massachusetts is fighting to regain custody of their teenage daughter after state child welfare officials removed her from their home when they refused to affirm a gender transition the school had helped facilitate without their knowledge, according to the parents.
Joseph and Arlene Kutzko say their daughter’s public high school, Algonquin Regional High School, contacted the Department of Children and Families (DCF) after they declined to recognize their child as male. They allege the school counselor had been meeting with the girl and guiding her through a social transition — using a different name and pronouns — while the family was told she was simply staying after school for extra math help. The Kutzkos described the situation in an interview on Fox News Radio’s “Lighthouse Faith” podcast.
The state accused the couple of abuse for refusing to go along with the transition and took over guardianship of the girl, the parents say. They lost custody in 2024. A restraining order now bars the Kutzkos — including the girl’s older brother — from contacting her. The couple says they have not seen their daughter since late 2024.
“They will not allow it”
Arlene Kutzko said she pleaded with officials to let her see her child. “I begged” to be able to “hug her or kiss her,” she told Fox News, but was told “they will not allow it.”
In the interview, she broke down while describing how much she misses her daughter. “Mama miss you, please come home,” she said through tears. “I’m begging you, please.”
Joseph Kutzko read aloud a card the girl had written to him just months before the school helped transition her. “Without [you] I would have nothing,” the daughter wrote. “Wholeheartedly, fully, sincerely, I love you with no end.”
According to the parents, their daughter had been seeing school counselor Denise Brienze “without our knowledge or consent.” The school did not inform them about the counseling sessions or the social transition, they say, and instead characterized the time as math tutoring.
Racing the clock
The Kutzkos are now trying to reunite with their daughter before she begins what the parents describe as an irreversible medical transition. They say they fear she could be placed on high-dose testosterone before they are able to intervene. Their next court hearing is scheduled for October 29, according to Fox News.
The case has become a flashpoint in a broader national dispute over how public schools handle students who identify as transgender, and how far child welfare agencies should go when parents object to a child’s transition. Parental rights advocates argue that schools and state agencies are overriding mothers and fathers who hold traditional views on sex and gender. Supporters of the policies say schools have an obligation to protect students who may not feel safe coming out at home, and that child welfare involvement is sometimes necessary to protect a minor’s well-being.
Similar cases across the country
The Kutzkos’ situation is one of several in which parents say they have been punished for refusing to affirm a child’s gender identity. In Montana, Krista and Todd Kolstad say their 14-year-old daughter was taken into state custody after they objected to her transition. Parents in California have raised similar allegations about Child Protective Services after declining to affirm their child’s transition. Additional cases have been reported in Indiana, Maryland and elsewhere, adding fuel to the escalating fight over gender ideology in schools and the scope of parental authority.
The Massachusetts case echoes arguments that have played out in state legislatures and courtrooms across the country in recent years. Several states have passed laws requiring schools to notify parents if a student requests a different name or pronoun, while others have moved in the opposite direction, directing districts to keep such information confidential. The overlap between school privacy policies and child welfare investigations remains one of the most contested areas in the debate.
For the Kutzkos, the immediate focus is the October 29 hearing. The couple says they are running out of time and are asking supporters to pray for their daughter’s return. “Mama miss you, please come home,” Arlene Kutzko said again in the interview, addressing her daughter directly.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/catholic-parents-refused-to-trans-their-teen-a-blue-state-just-took-her-away