A Scottsdale mother we will call Mary exercised her right in Arizona to opt-out her third grader from social-emotional learning (SEL), as Mary wants to be the main influence on her children regarding sensitive subjects. But the little girl’s older sister saw her talking to a counselor about SEL, discussing the same questions that were on the survey the mother didn’t want her daughter to take. It turns out the counselor bribed the little girl with tickets for a prize to get her to answer the questions. Mary fought for her parental rights and testified at the Arizona Capitol earlier this year. She was part of a successful effort in securing the rights of parents to guide their children’s education and well-being and ensuring teachers cannot give students surveys without written parental consent.

At other schools, children are taught their race oppresses other students; they’re encouraged to “explore their gender” and keep it from their parents, and they are taught a politicized curriculum that violates their family’s values.

The New York Times recently ran an opinion piece from two health professors discrediting the notion of any parental right and clamoring for comprehensive sex education (CSE). They write, “Religious right political groups that have spent decades dismantling abortion rights in much of the country, have been gunning for sex education for just as long. Their dangerous and cynical efforts now appear under the guise of ‘parental rights.’ ” They go on to insist full-scale sex education and gender identity studies should be left to the so-called experts. Al Mohler has an important analysis of the article here.

Gratefully, Arizona lawmakers have passed a number of CAP-supported bills enshrining parental rights into state law. But there is more to be done even as activists try to finagle those rights for themselves.

This is where the Promise to America’s Parents comes into play. It is a practical roadmap of 10 building blocks that parents, community leaders and lawmakers can use to safeguard parental rights. Our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom, The Heritage Foundation, and the Family Policy Alliance worked with concerned parents, policy organizations, and attorneys to put together a plan to help reclaim and protect parental rights through choice and government accountability.

The revelation during Covid-driven in-home learning that public schools are teaching critical race theory (CRT), social-emotional learning (SEL), diversity equity inclusion (DEI), and other destructive curriculum has turned parents into a powerful voting bloc. It played out initially in the 2021 Virginia governor’s race and spread throughout many state and local elections.

The power grab by many education leaders, teachers, and activists has inspired moms and dads to get involved. Namely, to run for a seat on their district’s school board. We see previously unengaged Arizonans commit to breaching their comfort zones to run for office, campaign for candidates, and otherwise put their efforts behind taking back their authority.

But one does not have to build a political campaign to make a difference. The Promise to America’s Parents focuses on laws that provide government accountability, choice, and transparency (ACT). It equips parents and empowers them to fight for their rights and their children – not alone, but in collaboration with advocates on every level.

Visit the website here to read the ten-point promise and get ADF’s free Parents’ Toolkit on Critical Theory. It will help equip you to defend your rights and learn how critical theory, critical race theory, transgender ideology, and comprehensive sexual education threaten your child. Get practical tips on how to engage policymakers and school boards to hold them accountable.

In addition, Family Policy Alliance and Focus on the Family have put together a guide to help parents navigate controversial circumstances in their children’s school. Find it here.

The guide offers direction regarding how to respectfully advocate for your child, what to do when you find offensive or explicit books in your school library, and how to guard your child’s safety in school restrooms and locker rooms.

Know your rights in Arizona. Read the extensive protections in Arizona’s Parental Bill of Rights here. It states in part: “The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, health care and mental health of their children is a fundamental right.” The government may not interfere with parental rights unless it demonstrates a compelling state interest “of the highest order, is narrowly tailored, and is not otherwise served by a less restrictive means.”

Additional parental rights laws that have passed since then are here under Marriage and Family.

ICYMI

• Read here why the abortion industry is trying so hard to conflate abortion and miscarriage, falsely claiming the line “has always been blurry.”
• Joseph Backholm explains the big picture behind an effort in California to take custody of children struggling with their gender if parents won’t “affirm” their transition. Read here.
• Read here how President Biden’s executive order on abortion is misleading and full of misinformation.

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