A devout Catholic couple in Massachusetts is pleading to regain custody of their teenage daughter, alleging that her school encouraged her to transition without their knowledge.
Joseph and Arlene Kutzko say they have not seen or spoken with their daughter Sophie, now 17, since 2024. The couple told Fox News reporter Lauren Green that the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families removed Sophie from their home because they would not recognize her as a boy, citing their religious beliefs.
Speaking on Green’s Lighthouse Faith podcast, the Kutzkos alleged that employees at Algonquin Regional High School introduced Sophie to gender-related ideology behind their backs.
Joseph Kutzko said the dispute began after administrators and counselors in the Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough allegedly exposed Sophie to “LGBTQ teachings and topics” that he said conflicted with the family’s Catholic faith.
By late November 2024, when Sophie was 15, her father said she had become increasingly distant from the rest of the family.
Sophie also began remaining at school after hours for what her parents believed was extra math assistance. The couple later claimed those sessions involved counseling connected to gender transition.
The parents became visibly emotional while discussing their daughter and said they did not understand what was happening until the school contacted state child welfare authorities and Sophie was removed from their care.
“We didn’t find out until after Sophie was removed,” Joseph said. “It came on like a tornado.”
Joseph and Arlene Kutzko say their daughter Sophie, pictured at far left and now 17, was allegedly removed from their custody after they declined to recognize her as male. The couple alleges that Sophie’s school assisted her in navigating a transition.
Sophie attended Algonquin Regional High School, where her parents allege she was introduced to gender ideology without their knowledge.
Vernadette Broyles, the couple’s lawyer who works with the Child and Parental Rights Campaign, said that the school participated in ‘secret transitioning’ after learning that ‘Sophie had started to reject her sex.’
‘The school began to use male pronouns and non-binary pronouns to refer to her by a male name in these secret counseling sessions that we suspect to affirm this rejection of her sex. And all of this was happening completely secret to the parents,’ Broyles told Green.
The couple is now fighting to keep Sophie from receiving high-dose testosterone – something that does not qualify as ‘ordinary’ medical care and needs consent from parents or permission from the court, Broyles argued.
She said that they have since filed a motion to block this from happening.
‘We are actively fighting in court to keep them from really poisoning this young lady with testosterone.
‘We are actively fighting because DCF wants to proceed with this,’ their lawyer continued.
DCF has also gone on to accuse the mother and father of alleged abuse against their daughter, they explained.
Joseph was previously arrested over these allegations, but according to Broyles, the claims of physical abuse ended up being ‘untrue’ and ‘unsupported.’
Joseph (pictured with Arlene) was previously arrested over these allegations, but according to Broyles, the claims of physical abuse ended up being ‘untrue’ and ‘unsupported’
‘The only thing that’s left is an allegation of neglect that has never been described. We do not even know the specific reasons for this unclear neglect charge against them,’ she said, adding that they believe the charge stems from Joseph and Arlene refusing Sophie’s transition.
More than anything, they want their daughter to come back and live with them again, but they can’t get in touch with her.
‘I even begged them just to hug her or kiss her. They said they can’t; they will not allow it,’ an emotional Arlene said.
Joseph added: ‘The most important thing is to bring her back to our family, but a shorter-term goal is to prevent them from giving her testosterone … We’re begging the state, “Please, do not give our daughter testosterone”.’
It is unclear where Sophie resides currently.
Joseph and Arlene got emotional several times during the interview with Fox News as they begged for the state to give them their daughter back
When contacted by the Daily Mail for comment, the Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough said that it ‘aggressively and unequivocally’ denies the claims made by the Kutzkos.
‘We are aware of the claims being circulated by two individuals whose child formerly attended one of our schools in 2023,’ Superintendent Gregory L. Martineau said.
‘The district unequivocally denies the claims made about the school district in a recent national media podcast as not merely baseless but grossly insensitive, intrusive and dangerous toward the child who was named in the media report.
‘Even a cursory glance at the state mandatory reporting guidelines for all school employees should cast wide doubt on the claims made in the national podcast as having absolutely no basis in reality.’
The Daily Mail contacted the Kutzkos, Algonquin Regional High School, Broyles, and DCF for comment.