This case could have tremendous ramifications for the debate over gender identity in the classroom.

Two Christian California teachers are advancing legal action against a school district over its gender policy, which a lawsuit alleges compels teachers to "lie to parents" about students' secret gender transitions.

Plaintiff Lori Ann West is a devout Christian and Elizabeth Mirabelli is a devout Roman Catholic. Both work at Rincon Middle School in the Escondido Union School District. Both requested religious accommodation from the district regarding parental notification for the transgender policy, according to the suit.

"I just looked around the room like, is this real? This is really happening? This seems crazy. This seems like the school wants to take over to be the parent. And as a parent, I would not want that for my own children," West said on the moment she heard about the policy in an interview with Fox News Digital.

The teachers, who have been teaching for decades, were placed on leave due to their refusal to adhere to the district’s gender policy.

On Wednesday, the teachers moved to hold the school district in contempt of federal court after the school refused to allow the teachers to safely return to work more than six months after they were placed on administrative leave, and more than two months after a federal court held that the school district was violating their constitutional rights.

In September, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez issued a preliminary injunction against the district, barring it from enforcing policies that require parents to conceal students’ gender identities with their parents.

In his ruling issued Thursday, Benitez wrote, "A parent's right to make decisions concerning the care, custody, control, and medical care of their children is one of the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests that Americans enjoy. However, if a school student expresses words or actions during class that may be the first visible sign that the child is dealing with gender incongruity or possibly gender dysphoria, conditions that may (or may not) progress into significant, adverse, life-long social-emotional health consequences, would it be lawful for the school to require teachers to hide the event from the parents?"

This situation provides a vivid illustration of the ongoing fight over educational policy, parental rights, teacher autonomy, and religious liberty. From a First Amendment perspective, the district’s policy is quite problematic.

For starters, the right to practice one’s religion is enshrined in the Constitution. West and Mirabelli, as devout Christians, argue that complying with the gender policy would violate their personal religious convictions. Indeed, the notion that a public institution would have the authority to compel people to ignore their deeply held religious beliefs is a disturbing thought – especially when it involves lying to parents.

There could also be an issue with compelling speech. Making teachers call students by pronouns that do not correspond to a student’s biological sex essentially means they are forcing them to espouse beliefs that they do not hold. The First Amendment not only protects the right to voice one’s opinions openly, but it also protects them from being compelled to make statements with which they do not agree.

Proponents of these policies would suggest that they promote inclusion and protect children suffering from gender dysphoria. Yet, it is clear that this is just part of the effort to indoctrinate children and influence young minds without their parents’ knowledge or consent. As I’ve stated previously, lawfare is going to be pivotal in winning this debate. Hopefully, this lawsuit will move the fight for parental rights forward.