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February 28, 2024

Vermont high school basketball team banned from playing in sports after refusing to play a transgender student

The Mid-Vermont Christian Highschool girls’ basketball team was banned from play after their coach forfeited a game against a team with a transgender player. The school spoke out in support of the coach, stating that playing against a transgender player would be “irresponsible and asking for an injury of a smaller female athlete.” In response, the Vermont Principals Association (VPA) banned the team from playing in all athletic events in the state. The statement from VPA said the school has every right to teach their beliefs to its own students but cannot “impose those beliefs on students from public and private schools; deny students from other schools the opportunity to play; or hurt students from other schools because of who those students are.” The has continued to defend the decision, stating that males and females are created differently. Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal advocacy group, filed a lawsuit on behalf of Mid-Vermont and said they feel confident they'll win this case.

February 23, 2024

Florida House committee approves bill to tackle communism in schools

On Wednesday, the Florida House committee approved HB 1349, a bill that would establish a Communism Education Task Force and require all Florida students to learn about communism. The Florida Senate Education Appropriations Committee unanimously approved the bill which would take effect in the 2026-2027 school year and start educating students on communism as early as kindergarten. The lessons would reportedly include teaching concepts such as the “atrocities committed in foreign countries under the guidance of communism, and the economic, industrial, and political events that have preceded and anticipated communist revolutions.” This bill represents a strong step towards restoring historical education and away from radical curriculum.

February 20, 2024

New study finds that 7 in 10 Americans cannot answer basics civics questions

A recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation study conducted ahead of President's Day found that 7 in 10 Americans lack civic literacy on topics like the three branches of government and the number of Supreme Court justices. The survey polled 2,000 registered voters with basic quiz questions and found only 25% say they are "very confident" they could explain how our government operates. Unfortunately, this does not come as a surprise to those of us who have borne witness to the steep decline in student outcomes that continues to worsen in many states. It is vital that we address these knowledge gaps immediately to ensure that our youth is equipped with the knowledge and education needed to preserve our democracy.

February 15, 2024

Georgia Senate bill would restore parental consent for gender discussions in private schools

A Georgia bill that would require parents to be informed before private schools "address issues of gender identity, queer theory, gender ideology, or gender transition” has finally advanced. The majority of republicans passed Senate Bill 88 out of the Senate Education and Youth Committee on a party-line vote on Tuesday, despite dissent from pro-LGBTQ+ groups. This bill, which would require written consent from parents before discussing their “gender identity,” is an exemplary step towards restoring parental rights in Georgia. Legislation like this is necessary to combat the onslaught of radical gender studies infiltrating American schools.

February 13, 2024

Reformist school boards abandon the woke National School Board Association

The influence of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) is dying, and a new wave of reformist school board associations is proving to be a strong force in the educational freedom fight. The NSBA has a long history of promoting concepts such as institutional racism, sexual nonconformity, and the "equitable" redistribution of students' grades. In September of 2021, the NSBA requested that the Biden administration use the power of federal law enforcement to silence parents who opposed their radical policies. Since then, school boards have been replacing this radical ideology with an academically focused competitor, called School Boards for Academic Excellence. These alternative school board associations are expanding in many states including Arizona, California, the Carolinas, Kansas, Nevada, Texas, Wisconsin, and many other states. To date, more than half of NSBA’s constituent school board associations have disaffiliated, and the fight for accountability has only just begun.

February 7, 2024

“Woke Kindergarten” training program in San Francisco causes major drops in math and reading

Students of the Glassbrook Elementary School in the San Francisco Bay Area are struggling with some of the lowest math and reading scores in the state after the school invested $250,000 in federal funds on a program called “Woke Kindergarten.” There has been a 4% drop in both areas in the last two years, and less than 12% of the students can read at their grade level. The “Woke Kindergarten” website includes information about their pro-black, queer, and trans liberation stances. The organization also posts "Woke" words of the day like "ceasefire" "abolish" and "Woke Wonderings" about challenging the Supreme Court, abolishing the police, and the military. Despite multiple teachers speaking out against the dangerous and ineffective training program, Hayward Unified School District Superintendent Jason Reimann defended the choice to hire "Woke Kindergarten” by stating that attendance has gone up and ignoring the colossal damage to student outcomes.

February 6, 2024

Chicago mayor voices support for removing all police from Chicago public schools despite concern from principals

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he supports the decision by the Board of Education to end a contract with the Chicago Police Department, meaning he is in favor of removing all officers from school grounds. Currently, local school councils have the power to remove school resource officers (SRO’s) if they choose to, but district leaders are now taking away that local control. Several principals of Chicago public schools are speaking out, deeply concerned for the safety and wellbeing of their student bodies. Principal Grishaber of William Taft Howard High School, who opted to keep principals in school during a 2020 vote stated, "If the Mayor and the Board really believe what they say, that the safety of our students is their number one concern and the mayor, and the board really believe in listening to student and community voices then the decision should be crystal clear.” If the Board of Education moves forward with these extreme plans, all officers may be removed by next fall, even from the schools that want and need them most.

February 2, 2024

Illegal Massachusetts teacher strike persists despite all-night negotiations

An illegal teacher strike taking place in Newton, Massachusetts has caused school cancellations for 11 days. The strike, led by the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) and motivated by the desire for a new contract deal, is the longest to occur in Massachusetts in decades. Despite all-night negotiations with the school committee, an agreement has yet to be reached. The NTA’s latest counterproposal would cost $4 million more than the city’s most recent offer, which is down from $15 million the day before. Negotiations are set to continue today, and the school committee is optimistic that children will be back at school soon. Unfortunately, this is just the latest example of unions deprioritizing the education of our nation’s youth in the name of conceit and, in this case, illegality.

January 31, 2024

Maryland education board unanimously votes to ban ‘sexually explicit’ books in schools

On January 10th, the board of education in one Maryland county unanimously voted in favor of a policy to restrict “sexually explicit” material from schools. The now approved policy states that "sexually explicit content is defined as unambiguously describing, depicting, showing, or writing about sex or sex acts in a detailed or graphic manner." This is a big win for parental rights groups such as Moms for Liberty, who have dedicated much time and effort to ensuring that their children are not exposed to inappropriate materials in school. Moms for Liberty Chapter President Kit Hart stated that the unanimous vote indicated that all parents are in favor of such bans.

January 24, 2024

National School Choice Week 2024: The Education Freedom Revolution

Kicking off National School Choice Week 2024: Tune in for a robust conversation between the top school choice leaders in the country. In a discussion facilitated by AFPI Chief Engagement Officer Ashley Hayek, Center for Education Opportunity and Center for the American Child Director Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith, Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Cameron Sexton, and Pennsylvania parent powerhouse Sharon Sedlar will reflect on the unprecedented school choice wins occurring across the nation, discuss a growing surge in parental power, and outline steps we can collectively take to ensure that this momentum continues in the new year.

January 10, 2024

Connecticut Teacher Sues After School Targets him for Questioning CRT

A Connecticut teacher is suing Hartford Public Schools after fighting back against “Identity and Privilege” training, a critical race theory (CRT) module, got him in hot water. John Grande says that the district has violated his First Amendment rights, claiming that the school targeted him with an investigation after he spoke out against the training and refused to endorse it. His goal with the lawsuit is to get a disciplinary letter rescinded, obtain damages, and challenge the unconstitutional conduct of school officials. “They threatened my career to silence me, but with this lawsuit, I’m leveling the playing field and forcing school officials to answer for trampling my rights.”

September 7, 2023

Maryland School reinstates COVID-19 Masking Policy for Third-Graders

After 3 students got infected with COVID-19, Rosemary Hills Elementary School in Montgomery County has reinstated a masking mandate for a third-grade classroom. The policy requires students to wear N95 masks for at least 10 days, depending on virus transmission. According to the mandate, the school plans to require extended periods of masking during any confirmed outbreaks, and this even includes students at the pre-kindergarten level. This comes after expert consensus that SARS-CoV-2 and its variants will not go away and are now a part of life, much like the flu.

August 31, 2023

California Mom Wins Settlement after Suing School District that Transitioned her Daughter

Earlier this week, California mom Jessica Konen settled a case regarding her daughter, who was transitioned at school without her consent. The case involving Spreckels Union School District in Monterey County has made national news and represents a landmark victory for parental rights. Jessica’s 11-year-old daughter, Alicia, was socially transitioned at school—told to use male pronouns and male bathrooms. When Jessica found out, she pressed charges against the school. Now that she has settled for $100,000 and Alicia has chosen to return to a female identity, Jessica is committed to continuing the fight for parental rights.

August 30, 2023

Student Removed from School Because of Patriotic Symbol!

A public charter school removed a boy from school because a pin on his backpack of the Gadsden flag, the famous yellow flag that states that states “Don’t Tread on Me,” was thought to have “origins with slavery.” That flag was associated with the American Revolution. In fact, this claim was so radical that even the progressive Colorado Gov. decided to weigh in and call the flag “a proud symbol of the American Revolution.” To remedy the situation, the school board called an emergency meeting and found that the student could attend school with the flag.

August 29, 2023

Parental Rights Court Victory: School Settles for Transitioning Student Without Parental Consent

Spreckels Union School District settled for $100,000, after being sued because they secretly transitioned a student’s gender identity without parental consent. Specifically, the school was allowing the student to use the men’s bathroom and male pronouns. The student now re-identifies as her original gender, however, showing the school’s actions might have been more harmful than good for the student.

August 24, 2023

Alabama High School wins Grant to visit a ‘Queer Heritage Site’

A high school in Selma, Alabama has recently been given a grant to fund a field trip to visit a 'queer heritage site'. The grant was distributed by "It Gets Better Project,” a non-profit which exists to advance and empower LGBTQ+ initiatives in all 50 states. All funding comes from the American Eagle and Aerie brands, and both companies declined to comment on the matter. Additionally, Selma High School has refused to comment. This is the latest example of a K-12 school pushing a leftist agenda and refusing to take accountability.

August 23, 2023

Florida Elementary School Isolates Black Students in Latest Assembly

Bunnell Elementary School in Flager County, Florida recently singled out black fourth and fifth graders in an assembly focused on improving standardized test scores. During the assembly, “model students” with high test scores were made to stand at the front of the stage while bribes such as gift cards were offered to black students as an incentive to raise their scores. This sparked outrage amongst parents as they were not informed of the event until the damage was already done.

August 16, 2023

U.S. Federal Appeals Court rules that Maryland School District can continue to Transition Students without Notifying Parents

The U.S. Court of Appeals recently dismissed a case that was brought by parents of students at Montgomery County Public Schools. The district has been implementing “gender support plans” which includes safe spaces and support networks for transitioning students. This means parents aren’t informed about their children’s preferred pronouns, athletics, extracurriculars, or bathroom/locker room use. The parents argued that this policy violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights. While the judge noted the persuasiveness of their arguments, the case was dismissed because the parents didn’t have transgender children themselves so were not affected by the “gender support plans”. Unfortunately, this decision leaves students at risk and parents in the dark.

August 8, 2023

New Jersey Board of Education Requires Gender Neutrality via New “Equity Code” Standards

The New Jersey State Board of Education recently approved an “equity code” which mandates the use of gender-neutral terms in schools. The code, which was originally adopted in 2003, has been amended to require elimination of gendered nouns and pronouns. The terms “female” and “male” will no longer be accepted in educational settings and will be replaced with the term “all.” Many concerned parent groups attended the meeting and urged board members to vote no. Now that it is approved, many parent advocates are threatening lawsuits to fight these radical requirements.

August 4, 2023

Middle School Clinic Now Providing Young Students with “Gender-affirming” Medications

Article: Free medications to aid in gender reassignment are being distributed to children as young as 11 at a Seattle public middle school clinic linked to the Black Panther Party. The independently operated facility in question, Meany Health Center at Meany Middle School, provides “gender-affirming care” and “medical referrals” to young students. They provide medications such as estrogen, androgen blockers, and testosterone. While parents must sign a form to approve of medications and injections, parent consent is not required for abortion and birth control (hormonal) services.

June 28, 2023

Maryland School District Watchlist: Parents Stand Against Sexualization of Children

Christian and Muslim parents alike have taken a stand against the sexualization of children taking place at Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. The school district recently made changes to its English and Language Arts curriculum by requiring readings of certain LGBTQ books. The changes will go into effect next year. The parents rallied together to see one crucial change made, the ability to opt their kids out of reading the books. The school board has not only said no to these parental rights but limited participation in its most recent school board meeting.

June 28, 2023

Florida Parental Rights Win!

Florida’s Department of Education released new rules that would ensure parental rights are protected. First, students may not attend an “adult live performance.” This regulation is vital based on the uptick of children being admitted to obscene drag shows in the name of LGBTQ equity. Second, while some school districts are hiding students’ attempts to change their names from their parents, Florida is upholding parental rights by ensuring the parents, not the schools get to choose “deviation from their child’s legal name.” Third, "TikTok would be prohibited on district devices or over schools’ internet.” This ensures the protection of school districts’ and students’ data from the threat that the app poses of enabling China to access private information.

June 26, 2023

New Jersey Attorney General Declares Legal Battle on Parental Rights

Three school districts, Middletown school district, Marlboro school district, and Manalapan-Englishtown Regional school district, passed policies upholding parental rights, New Jersey AG Matt Platkin filed suit just 24 hours later. These policies require schools to notify parents of a student’s change in name, pronouns, or bathroom usage, information that parents have a right to know. New Jersey’s AG says that qualifies as outing transgender students and is dangerous. But the districts are standing strong for parental rights.

June 26, 2023

California Community College Watchlist: Sued for Oppressing First Amendment

The Institute for Free Speech has sued Kern Community College District for First Amendment violations. Professor Johnson stood up for America after Professor Bond used extremely derogatory language against the U.S. As a result, Professor Bond filed a complaint against, and the district started an investigation into, Professor Johnson. Professor Johnson stood up for his rights by suing the district. Subsequently, the district’s Vice President, John Corkins, has been noted saying that those who oppose diversity, equity, and inclusion should be taken “to the slaughterhouse.”

June 21, 2023

EXPOSED: Public School Administrators Talking About Subverting Laws and Parental Rights

Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center hosted a four-hour online workshop where teachers and school administrators gathered together to discuss how they circumvent laws designed to protect children and parental rights. Specifically, these teachers focused on helping students secretly transition genders without informing their parents. One teacher even brought up teachers “addressing 'sexuality'” with 5-10 year olds. Not only are these teachers funded by tax-dollars, but the organization that hosted this meeting is funded by the Department of Education.

June 13, 2023

National English Teacher Group: Say No to Reading Standards and Yes to Indoctrinating Books

The National Council of Teachers of English, which focuses on improving the teaching of language arts to students, has decided that standards are racist. A report released in May says standards have been used to create a curriculum “absent of Black and Brown lives.” The report goes on to say that since the 1600s, literacy has been focused through a lens of whiteness. Their solution? The council instead wants teachers to utilize “culturally responsive education,” which focuses teaching with the themes of “anti-racism” and understanding “oppression.” The report also seems to suggest that “apolitical” textbooks are a negative, which suggests that they would rather see the politicization of education.

June 13, 2023

Texas Stands with Parental Rights

Governor Abbott has signed four bills that uphold parental rights in Texas, passed by the recently ended state legislative session. The four bills do the following: HB 900 – prohibits the use of age-inappropriate books in the school. HB 1605 – allows parents to review what is being taught to their children. HB 1926 – empowers parents of students with special needs. HB 3803 – gives parents the ability to decide if students should repeat grades.

June 7, 2023

Parents Watching Out for Their Children Deemed Hate Group

The Southern Poverty Law Center maintains a “hate map” of groups throughout the U.S. that they deem bigoted. Some groups such as the KKK are well-known hate groups, yet more recent additions show the group has transformed its map from a resource to propaganda material that falsely labels groups that disagree with its values. Moms for Liberty and other parental rights groups are the most recent groups to see their chapters nationwide placed on the infamous “hate map.” They donned the group that helps represent parental rights in education with the same title as the KKK.

June 7, 2023

1619 Project Uses Math to Indoctrinate

Following the release of the 1619 Project, the Pulitzer Center scooped up the failed narrative to try and create curricula that turned revisionist history into further indoctrination. Their most recent project combines the history of America with Algebra lessons to encourage students to research “whether or not reparations should be paid to the descendants of enslaved people.”

June 6, 2023

Shutting Down a Teacher’s Right to Free Speech

Ray Shelton, a 5th-grade teacher at Glendale Unified School District, California, and who is gay spoke up at the school board meeting against the recent transgender movement. His speech explained how the movement ignores common-sense and true biology and is “anti-woman.” After that moment, it turns out California didn’t care that he was part of the LGBTQ community. He was placed on paid leave because “’several comments’ were lodged against him.” Instead of being respectful of his privacy pending the investigation, the principal used the district’s email to say that Shelton as accused of “hate speech and hate symbols.”

June 6, 2023

New York Legislator Watchlist: Mandating the Sexualization of Children

Progressive legislators in the Big Apple have proposed a bill mandating schools teach curriculum about the LGBTQ community, their contributions, and “their lifeways.” They argue this bill will be more inclusive, yet curricula nationwide that focus on these objectives show a consistent attempt to sexualize and indoctrinate children.

May 30, 2023

Minnesota School District Watchlist: Kindergartners Can Read What?!

Osseo Area Schools District in Minnesota has reportedly allowed a book, Call Me Max, to be available to Kindergarteners during independent reading time. Call Me Max is about a girl, who believes she is transgender and starts her transition to boyhood by changing her name, questioning what bathroom to use, and more. This book was brought to the school board’s attention when one parent raised concern over it at a meeting. The parent points out that these books are being used when children are learning to read, they should not be confusing children about their gender at the same time.

May 30, 2023

University Watchlist: Misgendering = Violence

The University of Colorado Boulder took “inclusivity” to a whole new level when their Pride Office released a pronoun guide that stated that misgendering is not only oppressive but can be violent. The guide goes on to say that individuals should use gender-neutral pronouns until they know someone’s pronouns. These gender neutrals include going against the English language by using a plural pronoun of “they” or creating new words like “ze.” This goes beyond inclusivity to the absurdity of ignoring the inherent uniqueness of men and women.

May 22, 2023

AFPI’s Jack Brewer Joins Fox & Friends to Discuss Segregation at his Alma Mater

The University of Minnesota is hosting a summer research program, which specifically excludes white people. AFPI’s Chair for Opportunity Now and Vice Chair of Center for 1776 Jack Brewer, who played football at the University, joined Fox and Friends to express his disgust with seeing his alma mater not just go woke but blatantly racist. As Brewer points out, this program treats people of color as victims, and they are not victims, they are living the American Dream.

May 19, 2023

New Hampshire Legislator Watchlist: State Rep. Tells Parent to Shut Up!

State Rep. Tommy Hoyt (NH-D) received an email from a parent asking him to support a Parental Bill of Rights. Rather than support the pro-American legislation, or at least having the professionalism and courtesy to respond respectfully to the parent, Hoyt showed a fundamental disrespect for parents’ God-given right to direct their children’s education. The parent screenshotted the reply stating the following:

May 18, 2023

Nevada Teacher Watchlist: Teacher Believes Education is Racist

Jennifer Leja, a middle school teacher in Clark County School District, Nevada, posted a Tik Tok series in 2021 making racist, woke claims. Leja, a white teacher, made audacious statements ranging from “Education is inherently racist” to “History is white-washed,” and went so far as to say “White teachers are problematic.” What’s worse is the video implied that these messages came from her students and she agrees with them; they are not just her talking points on social media.

May 18, 2023

Parents’ Right to Know = Discrimination?

The New Jersey Attorney General is suing Hanover Township School District over a civil rights claim against their district policy that requires district staff to notify parents if their child comes out as LGBTQ. The Attorney General states this targets LGBTQ students. The policy, however, ensures that parents know what is happening with their children and focuses on more than just a student’s sexual orientation and gender identity.

May 17, 2023

This Day in History, the America Dream was Preserved

69 years ago today, the Supreme Court handed down a win for Americans of all races and creeds by deciding Brown v. Board of Education. In this landmark case, the Court noted that “separate is inherently unequal,” that is, segregation based on race was unequal and un-American. However, the sad truth is that progressives have started viewing the segregation of races as a key to overcoming racism. As we remember Brown v. Board, let us also remember to never try to repeat this era.

May 17, 2023

U.S. Rep Stands Up to Chinese-Funded, University Programs

Rep. Michelle Steel says her constituents know first-hand the terrors of communism and refuse to see that become an issue in America. However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) often promotes its communist propaganda through Confucius Institutes, which receive Chinese funding, in American Universities. Rep. Steel has a plan to combat this by having these universities file as foreign agents since they are receiving funding for promoting foreign agendas.

May 16, 2023

Teacher Union Prioritizes Money and Reparations Over Kids

Oakland Unified School District just saw the end of an almost two-week long strike by the teachers’ union that ended when the teachers received higher pay and the creation of a Black reparation task force. While the school remained open, almost 34,000 students did not get education for the last two weeks, towards the end of their semester when they are typically wrapping up their studies.

May 16, 2023

Colorado School District Stands Against Teacher Union for American Values

Woodland Park School District stood against the Colorado Education Association when the teacher union passed a resolution stating that Capitalism is exploitive and prevents “fully addressing” woke objectives. As a result, the school district board passed a resolution standing with “economic freedom” and the "principles of the Constitution.”

May 1, 2023

Texas Local Election Voter Guide

One of the most frustrating aspects of nonpartisan local elections is having to vet the candidates to ensure that what they say is really how they will vote! iVoter Guide has put together a resource for over 50 districts in Texas to help inform voters on where the candidates stand. Make sure to vet, verify, and vote!

April 9, 2023

Texas School District Watchlist: District Pushes Radical Gender Ideology on Students

Judson Independent School District has an elective course for juniors and seniors titled “Women and Gender Studies.” While the applicable knowledge that is intended for students’ benefit is hard to find, the course does teach lessons on gender neutral language. This means that, while the nation sees falling education numbers, students can critique the terms “policeman,” “fireman,” “housewife,” and “you guys.”

March 24, 2023

STATEMENT: AFPI Praises the Passage of the Parents Bill of Rights Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) released the following statement from Brooke Rollins, President and CEO of AFPI, on the House passage of the Parents Bill of Rights Act, which is designed to strengthen transparency in the classroom:

March 24, 2023

Parents Bill of Rights Passes House!

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Parents Bill of Rights on Friday with a total vote of 213-208. Among many pro-parent policies, this bill requires every public school to publish curricula as well as share what books are in the library. Moreover, this bill ensures that the National Association of School Boards cannot repeat their past attacks on parents, including by calling them domestic terrorists, by stating that the government should not use law enforcement as a response to parent’s voicing their opinions about their children’s education.

March 23, 2023

School Choice Headed to Texas

Texas has become the most recent state to see its elected officials rally around school choice legislation. This pro-parental rights policy would create Education Savings Accounts (ESA) allowing up to $8,000 dollars per student to be allowed to be spent on private school education. This program allows tax dollars to follow the student, not the district, so parents are not required to send schools decided by government drawn lines. The specific bill, SB8, that accomplishes this goal also has taken on the sexualization of children that has been happening in schools across the nation.

March 22, 2023

Pro-Parent Policy Victory: Arkansas’ New Law Protects Children

Under Governor Sarah Sanders, Arkansas is putting parents and children first! The newest law the Governor signed into law ensures that students will only be able to use bathroom and locker rooms that correspond with the student’s biological sex. The bill also allows for transgender students to use single stall bathrooms, if they choose to not use one’s that identify with their biological sex.

March 21, 2023

California School District Watchlist: American Flagpole Flies Transgender Flag

At California’s Sacramento City Unified School District, district officials have put their constant sexualization of children on full display when they flew a transgender flag on the same flagpole as the American flag and California state flag. Not only does this act show the school district taking a quite political stance, but it also furthers California’s continual assault on parental rights to decide how to raise their children in regard to biology, gender, and sexual knowledge.

March 21, 2023

Texas School District Watchlist: Austin ISD’s Sexualizing Event Violates State Law

Austin Independent School District has chosen to once again host their “Pride Week” that blatantly defies Texas law. Last year, the district’s pride week included teachings involving sexual materials and encouragement from teachers to hide what they teach. Attorney General Ken Paxton stated the Pride Week violated state law, yet the district has decided to repeat the week this year. Moreover, parents also are disgusted by this week of sexualizing children calling it “repulsive,” “degeneracy,” “child abuse,” and more.

March 20, 2023

Join Texas Parents for a Parent Empowerment Day on March 21 at the Capitol!

The Parent Empowerment Coalition, a coalition of organizations leading the fight for parental rights including America First Policy Institute, America First Works, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and more are hosting a Parent Empowerment Day near the Texas State Capitol on March 21 with special guest, Governor Abbott!

March 20, 2023

STATEMENT: AFPI Commends Bill Requiring Transparency and Integrity in Education

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) released the following statement commending state-level legislation that protects parents rights while promoting transparency and integrity in education.

March 20, 2023

Join Texas Parents for a Parent Empowerment Night on March 21 in Houston, TX!

The Parent Empowerment Coalition, a coalition of organizations leading the fight for parental rights including America First Policy Institute, America First Works, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and more are hosting a Parent Empowerment Night at Cypress Christian School in Houston, Tx on March 21 with special guest, Governor Abbott!

March 17, 2023

Minnesota Teacher Watchlist: Teacher Aims to Confuse Students About Gender

Back in January an elementary music teacher in Mounds View Public Schools, Kourtney Ryan, posted a video that takes pride in children being confused about their gender. In the video, one teacher describes how students were unable to figure out if they were a boy or a girl, the teacher responded “that’s the goal. That’s the goal.” In response, this video has recently made a comeback on social media as users angrily realize just how far the sexualization of our children has gone.

March 17, 2023

Utah Teacher Watchlist: Student Encouraged to Turn Diet Woke

A sixth-grade teacher, Kim Cutler, in Nebo School District is pushing the progressive climate change agenda in the classroom through a homework assignment that required students to write an essay discussing the human consumption of insects, with which students could not disagree. What is more frightening is that the teacher took the progressive agenda a step further by giving extra credit to students who chose to eat insects. Cutler claims that the teaching material “was provided in a district training.”

March 4, 2023

Colorado School District Watchlist: Administrators Seek to Help Transition Student Without Parental Knowledge

Independent Women’s Forum exposed Poudre School District in Colorado for taking an anti-parental rights stance when they hid their attempt to help a student change genders from the student’s parents. According to the emails released, both LGBTQIA+ Coordinator Shayna Seitchik and Chief Equity and Academic Officer Marlena Gross-Taylor noted the district should use the student’s preferred name and pronoun in school but opt to use the student’s legal name and pronouns when talking to the parents.

March 3, 2023

Arizona School Board Watchlist: Christian Teachers Should Leave Their Faith at the Door

Washington Elementary School District has had a partnership with Arizona Christian University allowing student teachers from the university to teach in the district for the last 11 years. That came to an abrupt halt however when the school board decided that Christian values are too dangerous for student teachers to personally hold when teaching LGBTQ+ students. Board Member Kyle Clayton took offense to the fact that the students were taught to teach “with a Biblical lens.” Furthermore, Board Member Tamillia Valenzuela, who identifies as a “bilingual, disabled, neurodivergent Queer Black Latina” and is often seen sporting cat ears, led the attack on Christianity by stating:

March 1, 2023

Kansas School District Watchlist: Wrong Pronouns = Death?

Wichita Public School District has revealed their gender support plan that fully encompasses woke ideology, anti-parental right stances, and the hyper-sexualization of children. The survey questions provided to students questioning their biological gender include questions about whether the student’s parents are aware of their new identity. A presentation on the issue was also seen encouraging teachers to ignore what the parents want and use the “student’s preferred pronouns.” The notes on the presentation also stated, “The lack of using pronouns could lead to death."

March 1, 2023

New York City Mayor Adams Actually Understands the Issues in Our Schools

At the Interfaith Breakfast in Manhattan, Mayor Adams noted that when prayer was taken out of schools, guns came in. He then went on to show that it is the job of religious people to help address “societies problems.” This comes amid progressives constantly trying to use school shootings as a fear mongering tool to attack the Second Amendment rather than realizing there is a morality problem taking place in our schools and woke education is not helping.

February 28, 2023

New York Teacher Watchlist: Teacher Tries to Manipulate Student into Changing Genders

Debra Rosenquist, a 5th grade teacher in Port Jefferson Union Free School District, is being sued, along with the district, by the parents of a student who claims his teacher was trying to induce a gender transition According to the lawsuit, Rosenquist encouraged her 5th-graders to “try ‘being gay.’” The daughter of the parents who filed the suit didn’t want to transition, yet Rosenquist continually called her Leo and used male pronouns. The parents only found out when their daughter drew a picture of a girl and wrote, “I wanna kill myself.”

February 26, 2023

Virginia School Board Member Watchlist: Fairfax Member Implies that Iwo Jima Was Evil

Abrar Omeish, a member of Fairfax County School Board, was discussing the importance of Japanese Day of Remembrance, which focuses on Japanese-Americans, when she then mentioned the importance of reflecting on the days when “Iowa Jima unfortunately happened” and showed what “human evil is capable of." The Battle of Iowa Jima cost over 6,800 Americans their lives as they fought against the atrocities of the Japanese empire. The war is famously memorialized through a statue depicting Marines raising the flag. This isn’t Omeish’s first controversial statement; she has also made anti-Israel comments and gave a high school commencement speech where she stated:

February 24, 2023

Florida Teacher Watchlist: White Kids Bow to Black Kids

Ethan Hooper, a middle school teacher in Orange County School District, is on forced-leave after accusations that he had White students bow to Black students. Hooper posted a video with the bowing as well as having White kids feed and fan Black kids “in honor of Black History Month.” The teacher acknowledges the activity stating:

February 16, 2023

California School District Watchlist: School District Requests White People Are Left Out of Event

Acalanes Union High School District invited all employees of color to an event, yet the email came with a segregating warning to non-persons-of-color. The district requested that white people not be invited because of “feelings of uneasiness and mistrust.” The email reads:

February 16, 2023

Students Successfully Act Against Woke School Board

Milford School District in New Hampshire has seen conflict at the school board meetings as school board members try to implement woke bathroom policies, which endanger students by placing students in bathrooms that don’t match their biological sex. To compromise, school board members voted for one policy that would ban the use of urinals in middle and high school bathrooms. In response, students walked out in protest to stand up for pro-America policies. As a result, the district has reversed the policy.

February 12, 2023

Teacher Watchlist: Pre-K Teacher Reveals the Fight Against Childhood Innocence

One early childhood professor and a pre-K teacher, William Villalpando, has claimed multiple times that childhood innocence does not exist and once went so far as to claim that “not talking about queerness in the classroom is not letting children be children.” The idea that children lack inherent innocence opens the way for radical sexual education as there’s nothing to preserve.

February 11, 2023

Maine School District Watchlist: 13-yr old Secretly Transitions Behind Parents’ Backs

Great Salt Bay Community School District is under fire after a mother revealed that her daughter, who secretly transitioned genders, was aided by her school. The mother claims that one of the district’s social workers gave her daughter chest binders, informed her that her parents don’t need to know, and gave her a new name and male pronouns.

February 3, 2023

Maryland School District Watchlist: Worksheet Teaches Students How to Categorize Oppression!

The Howard County Public School System gave teachers an assignment to hand out to students titled “Privileged or Oppressed? Worksheet.” Not only does this worksheet hit the typical anti-American, woke talking points, including the idea that white people are privileged while people of color are oppressed, but it added a new oppression category: speciesism. This category describes humans as privileged and “animals/plants/flora” as oppressed. This school district also requires students to become well-versed in the Black Lives Matter movement, where some believe this worksheet came from.

February 1, 2023

Senate Bill Would Protect Parent’s Right to Know What is Happening with Their Children

Senator Tim Scott introduced a bill in the Senate that would prohibit federal funding if a school were withholding information from parents about their children. The “PROTECT Kids Act” requires schools that want to keep receiving federal funding to receive consent from parents before the district changes a student’s pronouns or gender identity or allows the student to use a different locker room than corresponds with their biological sex, etc. This ensures that parents know what is happening in schools pertaining to their children.

January 31, 2023

Texas Legislatures Take Defend Parents Against School Board Association

The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) is on the brink of several members leaving after 9 Texas state Representatives sent a letter to every Texas School Board requesting they withdraw from the association. This is not only because the TASB took a year to withdraw from the National School Board Association after the National School Board Association (NSBA) deemed parents potential domestic terrorists, but also they changed their legal guidelines to allow students to use bathrooms that doesn’t correspond with their biological sex.

January 30, 2023

Who’s Creating the AP Curriculum?

Florida Governor DeSantis has taken the fight to a new AP course, African American Studies, which focuses on perpetuating the notion of systemic racism and teaches unrelated themes like “Queer Theory.” Consequently, one professor, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, who helped create the course, tweeted on Friday to “abolish the police.” This comes after a National Review op-ed exposing her as being a socialist was released.

January 30, 2023

Texas School Board Victory: FWISD Roles Back Sex Curriculum

The Fort Worth community rallied against a new sex-ed curriculum set to be adopted by the Fort Worth Independent School District School Board. The curriculum went against Texas standards of keeping American values in schools by focusing on teaching students “safe sex” rather than abstinence.

January 28, 2023

Border Crisis Hits the New Jersey School District

Stefani Harvey, an assistant principal at Providence Public School District, sent an email out to teachers soliciting money to help pay a student’s cartel coyote. The student was $2000 short of the needed $5000 to pay the cartel. Harvey described the coyote as “a group that helps people.”

January 26, 2023

Iowa School Board Member Takes Stand Against Parents

In Linn-Mar Community School District in Iowa, school board member Rachel Wall posted on Facebook that reads, "the purpose of a public ed is to not teach kids what the parents want. It is to teach them what society needs them to know. The client is not the parent, but the community." Wall has since tried to clarify his saying as not being opposed to parents, but the message still clearly lacks the understanding that the parents and students are the community, and a pro-parent policy is a pro-community policy.

January 26, 2023

Loyal Chicago’s Medical School Under Investigation for Discrimination

Loyola Chicago’s medical school is under investigation by the Department of Education after Do Not Harm filed a complaint. The complaint alleges that the surgery department of the school is setting racial requirements on its internship program, specifically prohibiting Caucasians and Asians from being able to apply. The full list of allowed ethnicities is below.

January 26, 2023

Pennsylvania School District Watchlist: School District Prohibits Parents from Choosing What Their Child Will Learn

America First Legal is suing a West Shore School District in Pennsylvania over claims that they infringed on parents’ religious Liberty. Due to their faith, the parents tried to “opt their child out of a social-emotional learning class.” Multiple times the district rejected such requests.

January 26, 2023

Taking the Parental Rights Movement to Congress

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) has filed a bill that would defund K-12 schools that teach a dishonest history of America’s founding and concepts surrounding systemic racism. This legislation would take the parental rights movement, which has been largely state and school board focuses and advance it in the federal government. Federal legislature could ensure that states like Washington and California, where education officials continue to tread on parental rights, understand the risks of continuing the course.

January 25, 2023

Using Stuffed Animals to Indoctrinate, Part 2

In December, a story came out that a California teacher was using stuffed animals to teach children about pronouns and gender identity. Now, a North Carolina organization has created a 50-minute documentary that daycare owners were shown. In this video, a caretaker is using a stuffed animal to explain to kids that someone can be “just a kid and not a boy or a girl.”

January 25, 2023

Missouri AG Stands Up for Parental Rights

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has taken a stand for pro-parent policies and practices to be placed in schools. Following a drag queen breakfast, which around 30 middle schoolers from Columbia Public Schools attended, Attorney General Bailey called for the school officials, who knew and allowed this event to take place without parental consent, to either resign or be fired. Moreover, he called for resolutions from school boards that declared that drag has no place in curricula.

January 24, 2023

Iowa Parent Victory: School Choice Legislation Signed!

On Tuesday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the Students First Act creating universal school choice throughout the state. This new law through the Education Savings Account program provides $7,598 per student in taxpayer funding to help pay for private school education if a student unenrolls from public school.

January 22, 2023

Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office has been investigating state colleges and universities to see how state dollars are funding anti-American, anti-parent initiatives. These initiatives are often disguised under terms like diversity, equity, and inclusion, but they perpetuate the narrative that America is systemically racist. The results are shocking. State colleges and universities are spending millions of dollars to aid in the indoctrination of college students in anti-American ideals. The University of Florida spent $3.4 millions of state tax dollars, and the University of Central Florida spent around $2.3 millions of state tax dollars.

January 22, 2023

Curriculum Official Targets White People Regarding Curriculum Development

In San Mateo Union High School District, one school official who works with curriculum, Samia Shoman, called for the State Board of Education to not allow “racist & privileged white voices” in helping determine curriculum. While removing white voices may seem to be counterintuitive to encouraging a diversity of perspective, Shoman also clarified that “multiple perspectives” and “diversity” are “privileged terms” because they undermine “the primary focus on BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) communities.”

January 22, 2023

New York Times Admits That Schools Are Hiding Information from Parents

The New York Times released an article describing a story of a parent who found out that a school district was hiding that their student was transgender from them. The school district hid the student’s new name, pronouns, and the fact that they were using the bathroom opposite of their biological gender. The article goes on to admit what the pro-parent, pro-America movement has been saying for years: this is a non-partisan attack on parents.

January 20, 2023

Michigan School Board Meeting Watchlist: Parents Fight Back Against Race-Baiting School Board Member

Parents stood up against racist tweets that one school board member tweeted out at the latest Jackson Public Schools, Michigan meeting. One school board member, Kesha Hamilton, tweeted out anti-white rhetoric. Parts of tweets talked about “Whiteness” being “so evil,” the difficulty of “working/living in/around with white folks,” and White people being dangerous.

January 20, 2023

Planned Parenthood Employees Still Trying to Sexualize Your Children

Planned Parenthood’s sex education employees are at it again, this time taking the age-inappropriate, sexual materials straight to the youth. Mariah Caudillo, one of the employees, posted on TikTok information about how minors can acquire sex toys. She also provided information on how to hide sex toys from parents. Not only that, but she also explained that sex education should be “pleasure-based” as opposed to “abstinence-based.”

January 19, 2023

Ohio School District Circumvents the Law

Employees at Upper Arlington City School District and Groveport Madison Local School District were caught on camera explaining how they would try to circumvent pro-American education laws to undermine parental authority. The Executive Director of DEI for Upper Arlington City School District noted that if a bill doesn’t prohibit Marxist teachings in “programming” or “extracurriculars,” it could be taught there to make sure children are indoctrinated in anti-American language. One administrative assistant for Groveport Madison Local School District specifically mentioned parents being “trick[ed].”

January 18, 2023

Teacher Unions Contracts Cited as Basis of Indoctrinating Students

The Defense of Freedom Institute released a new report revealing that progressive ideologies in schools often find roots in the teacher union contracts with school districts. Not only does the report list these ideologies in the curriculum but also in the disciplinary practices take a progressive spin, focusing on “reconciliation” instead of actual disciplines that mitigate future behaviors. Moreover, in Minneapolis Public Schools, the teacher union contract with the school district specifies that hiring and firing practices would be based on race.

January 17, 2023

Teachers Want to Remove School Officers Despite Shootings

In Portland an ongoing debate about whether to keep School Resource Officers, who are often police for the school district, has begun following four shootings near Portland public schools. Specifically, the Portland Teachers Union would rather have mental health resources as opposed to the resource officers.

January 11, 2023

Field Trip Gone Wild

Last November, one middle school teacher in Rochester Community Schools in Michigan stopped at a pizza restaurant during a school trip to the Symphony. The restaurant was connected to a lounge with stripper poles. Since there was not enough room for all the students in the restaurant portion, they thought it would be a good idea to take the kids to the lounge to sit and eat. Photos reveal that some kids even danced on the poles. However, the story is just now being talked about by one trustee, Andrew Weaver, after revealing that the district failed to address parent’s concerns and deal accordingly with the issue.

January 10, 2023

Out-Of-Touch Minnesota Lawmaker Believes Students Want to Hear About Sexual Orientation

Rep. Sydney Jordan (D-MN) wrote a bill that would create model programs, which would aid in the sexualization of children through the focus on sexual orientation and gender identity. However, what’s worse is her tweet that followed claiming that “Students are demanding access to information about their bodies, consent, and contraception.”

January 10, 2023

NYC Principle Opposes a Parent and Defends the Sexualization of Children

A concerned parent emailed a NYC Middle School Principal, Elana Elster, regarding whether or not the sexually explicit book This Book is Gay was in the library. The principal went on to say that the book was in the library, was going to remain there, and then questioned the parent’s motives.

January 10, 2023

349 Teachers Arrested

In 2022, 349 teachers were arrested for child sex crimes “ranging from grooming to child porn to raping students.” 75% of the accused crimes were surrounding students. In a day where more and more students are being sexualized through the books they read and the lessons they learn, this attack from teachers shows the need for parent involvement in education.

January 10, 2023

Leave No Doubt: Minnesota Teacher Licensing Board Will Require New Teachers to Indoctrinate Students

The Minnesota teacher licensing board is set to change the rules to become a licensed teacher. The new standards, set to take place in 2025, will promote Marxist tenants including requiring teachers to take an “anti-racist” approach to teach. Anti-racism ends up perpetuating racism and tells minorities that they are inherently oppressed. The teachers must also aid in the sexualization of children by focusing on sexual identity. Not only will these standards be set for new teachers to be licensed [AS1] but colleges of education must indoctrinate future educators as well.

January 9, 2023

Idaho School Board Meeting Spotlight: Caldwell School District sees Parents Fight Back

Caldwell School District in Idaho had proposed a policy that would put parents and children last by allowing students to use the bathrooms and locker-rooms of the gender they identify with, rather than what’s reflected in their biology. State Senator Trakel stood against the policy, and during his speech the school board chair, Marisela Pesina, tried to interrupt, and then the school board ended the meeting abruptly.

January 3, 2023

Mask Mandates Make a Comeback in Schools

Philadelphia School District in Pennsylvania as well as Camden City School District, Paterson Public Schools, and Passaic School District in New Jersey are reinstating mask mandates in schools as students return from winter break. Even teachers recognize the effects this will have on students.

January 3, 2023

Parents Take it to Court: Clark County School District Sued for ‘Grooming.’

Parents are suing Clark County School District in Nevada for “unlawful grooming and abuse of a minor.” A teacher helped students create obscene monologues that other students then had to perform. When the parents stood up in front of the school board to read the monologue, their mic was turned off.

December 21, 2022

Air Force Academy Sued for Records of Misteaching American History

Judicial Watch filed a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request against the Department of Defense's Air Force Academy after the Department ignored previous requests by the government watchdog group.

December 21, 2022

Virginia Rules Commission Refuses Removing Secrecy Embedded in Current Transgender Policies

The Virginia Rules Commission objected to Governor Glenn Youngkin's proposed rule changes, including the requirement that schools inform parents of any name/pronoun changes involving their children. Other rules would have ensured biological sex determines the usage of bathrooms, lockers, and participation in school sports.

December 20, 2022

U.S. Olympics Committee Releases “Position Paper” on Transgender Participation

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee released its position paper recommending what are known as "category qualifiers" or "open" categories to address the issue of transgender athletes' participation in sports.

December 20, 2022

NC Professor Fighting Back After Being Let Go for Seminar Critiques

Dr. David Phillips argues firing him after he criticized the misteaching of American history violated his First Amendment rights.

December 19, 2022

Maine Social Worker Caught Secretly Transitioning 13-Year-Old Girl

Amber Lavigne, the mother of the 13-year-old, told her local school board that a Central Lincoln County School System social worker provided her daughter with a chest binder, an instrument commonly used to help gender transitions, and encouraged the daughter to keep it a secret from her parents.

December 19, 2022

Ohio General Assembly Fails to Ban Biological Men from Women’s Sports

An education bill including an amendment to prohibit students of the male sex from participating in athletic teams or competitions exclusively of the female sex failed to pass in Ohio's General Assembly last week. The bill would have also given greater power to the governor over the Department of Education and banned discrimination against students based on COVID-19 vaccination status.

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