A little over a week ago, America First Legal (AFL) released its “Parents Rights Toolkit” to help parents of children in public schools protect themselves and their children from the so-called experts who run our schools.
It’s a sad commentary on the current state of our education system that parents need an outside agency to advise them on their rights and to create materials that help them secure and claim those rights.
No. It’s not just sad. It’s pathetic. Government officials are supposed to serve the public, not their ideologies.
Elites in the education system, for decades, have been developing policies and programs that chip away at parental rights or work to confuse or bully parents into waiving their rights wittingly or unwittingly. Schools and school districts can get away with such machinations because most parents do not understand the law.
AFL’s toolkit changes this.
AFL Senior Advisor Ian Prior said of the toolkit:
“For the past four years, public schools have been indoctrinating children with radical racist, anti-semitic, and transgender ideologies. As these schools have blatantly violated civil rights law, the Biden Administration worked hand in glove to federalize these illegal practices. That ends in 2025, as the incoming administration has made clear that it will crack down on these woke schools that abuse their federal funds to implement insane ideologies that hurt children. The America First Legal Parental Rights Toolkit empowers parents to assist the federal government in identifying where the law is being broken so that we can turn our failing education system around.”
Regarding parental rights, AFL focused on three laws that parents need to know: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), which amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965.
Title IX
Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. This includes state education agencies, elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, vocational schools, and other educational institutions.
The Biden Administration completely rewrote Title IX. The most significant revision is the clarification of sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity. The original law limited discrimination to biological sex.
The Biden revisions have been stayed in twenty-six states due to court actions filed. However, those court cases should become moot when the new administration takes over since President-elect Trump has stated he will withdraw the modifications when he takes office. Title IX should revert to the previous language, which embraces the reality that sex is an immutable characteristic determined at conception, not the delusion that sex is fluid. Sex does not and cannot change.
The toolkit for a Title IX complaint instructs parents on their rights under Title IX and how to file a complaint. AFL even provides a sample complaint letter.
Title VI
This refers to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act prohibits any organization that receives federal money from discriminating based on race, color, or national origin. To do so invites federal legal action against the organization.
While individuals can file a federal lawsuit, they must first exhaust other administrative remedies. The AFL provides step-by-step guidance and a sample letter to file a complaint.
Discrimination does not have to be overtly stated. In some cases, it also can be determined by the effect or outcome of a policy or practice.
AFL explains:
“If you believe that you or others protected by Title VI have been discriminated against, you may file a complaint with the Federal agency that provides funds for the program where you believe the discrimination is occurring. For K-12 schools, colleges, and universities, this will generally be the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.”
PPRA
The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment to Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was adopted in 1974 as a single line that addressed experimental education practices and required parents to inspect materials in advance. The amendment’s provisions were greatly expanded in 1978 and were known as the Hatch Amendment. The PPRA incorporated several essential mandates.
1.) Consent: Parents have the right to provide written consent before their children participate in any federally funded survey, analysis, or evaluation that deals with sensitive topics.
2.) Opt-out: For non-federally funded surveys covering protected areas, parents must be notified in advance and have the right to opt-out for their children.
3.) Inspection: Parents have the right to inspect, upon request and before administration:
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- Protected information surveys
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- Instruments used to collect personal information for marketing purposes
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- Instructional material used as part of the educational curricula
4.) Marketing and Data Collection: Parents have the right to receive notice and an opportunity to opt their children out of:
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- Activities involving collection or use of personal information for marketing purposes
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- Any non-emergency, invasive physical exam or screening (with some exceptions)
Regarding surveys requesting information from students, the PPRA covers eight protected areas, including:
- Political affiliations or beliefs
- Mental or psychological problems
- Sex behavior or attitudes
- Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior
- Critical appraisals of family members
- Legally recognized privileged relationships
- Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs
- Income (except as required by law for program eligibility)
Schools must develop and adopt policies regarding these rights in consultation with parents. They also must notify parents of these policies and any changes at the beginning of the school year.
AFL provides details of the PPRA HERE.
Parents in Illinois need to become familiar with their rights under federal law since the Illinois law, left unchallenged, steps all over parents’ rights.
The AFL site also provides a sample Freedom of Information Act Letter for every state that anyone can use to request information on the various issues involving schools.
Parents, all citizens, can no longer count on surrogates in the school system to fulfill the responsibilities that God gave us.
We all must step up.
