Two More Exhibits Showing Who Sides with Parents in the Education Wars

[Vambram]

Two More Exhibits Showing Who Sides with Parents in the Education Wars

The Democrats' war on parental rights continues in Missouri, where ideologically captured school boards shut moms and dads out of decisions regarding sexuality,

washingtonstand.com

Last March, Biden administration Education Secretary Miguel Cardona attempted to reverse conservative gains on education with an op-ed published in Florida’s second-largest newspaper. “Parents don’t want politicians dictating what their children can learn, think and believe,” he protested. “Parents also are speaking out about their worries that politicians are using our kids’ education as a political football.” The whole thrust of Cardona’s argument, on behalf of the educational elite, was to reframe recent education controversies from “parents versus left-wing teachers” to “parents versus right-wing politicians.”

When Cardona’s op-ed was published, there were already examples contradicting his attempted reframing of the narrative, with more rank odors of the Left’s sour fruit wafting into the open all the time.

Two recent incidents come from Missouri, where ideologically captured school boards shut parents out of decisions regarding sexuality, on which the parents had a statutory right to give input. Now, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) has taken up the parents’ cause against the school districts. “The school board has got to respect the parents’ rights to determine these sorts of policy decisions,” Bailey argued on “Washington Watch,” and ultimately have a voice in that process.”

Exhibit 1: Webster Groves School District
“Webster Groves [School District] showed students a video presentation that discussed gender identity and sexual orientation,” according to information obtained by Bailey’s office, “and instructed students to follow a link to a third-party website affiliated with Planned Parenthood containing information on human sexuality topics including abortion, gender identity, and sexual orientation.” Bailey explained that the website included materials which “promoted casual hookups for teens, promoted research into abortion, and LGBTQ issues.”
“These are direct affronts to our statute,” argued Bailey. “There are very strict guidelines built into Missouri statute that govern what can and cannot be taught, when it comes to human sexuality. And one of the provisions in the statute is a parental opt-in or opt-out procedure.” Thus, he said, “schools have to abide by the curriculum standards, … have to present that curriculum to the parents, … and the parents get to decide which curriculum is appropriate for their children.”

 

[Vambram]

Exhibit 2: Wentzville School District
Last year, the Wentzville Board of Education “went into closed session and removed the public from the meeting in order to adopt a radical transgender policy,” Bailey explained. Discussion of a proposed transgender bathroom policy in closed session “continued for at least 10-15 minutes and went beyond” any legitimate reason for closing the meeting to the public, according to one affidavit. This move was “another direct affront to parental rights in the state of Missouri, and it also violates our state open meetings law,” Bailey argued.

Missouri law (RSMo § 610.011) stipulates:

“It is the public policy of this state that meetings, records, votes, actions, and deliberations of public governmental bodies be open to the public unless otherwise provided by law. Sections 610.010 to 610.200 shall be liberally construed and their exceptions strictly construed to promote this public policy.”

When some board members objected to this heavy-handed tactic, another board member responded, “Quite frankly, it’s not the parents’ business.” Three board members approached Bailey’s office as whistleblowers, and more than 40 community members also filed complaints against the school board. “These board members did the right thing … and my office didn’t hesitate to file suit,” said Bailey.

Then the saga took a turn for the worse. “As soon as that lawsuit kicked off, the other board members and some of the entrenched interests at the school began a baseless internal investigation, essentially weaponizing the personnel policies of the school against the whistleblowers,” Bailey explained. “Censorship demands have been placed on these whistleblower board members. There have been intrusive searches into their use of email.” The board even planned to “discipline and potentially remove from office the three duly elected whistleblower members of the board for certain votes they made in the course of their duties, political speech in which they engaged while in office, or providing information to my Office,” Bailey wrote.

 

[Vambram]

Investigation Reveals Gender, Abortion Services Masquerading as Health Centers in K-12 Schools

Gender, Abortion Services Posing as Health Centers in Schools

A new report from Parents Defending Education finds that health centers at schools provide far more services than necessary.

www.dailysignal.com

But studies done in 2020 and 2023 found that giving students an on-campus clinic and psychologist had “no statistically significant” effect on students’ academic performance. The 2023 study from Pediatric Research, the official publication of the American Pediatric Society and two related groups, found that students using SBHCs were more likely to be diagnosed with mental disorders such as gender dysphoria.
This hasn’t stopped political organizations such as Planned Parenthood, the American Federation of Teachers, Reproduction for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America), and the School-Based Health Alliance (an LGBTQ advocacy group) from pushing SBHCs as a health necessity while focusing on questionable services for minors.

The investigation by Parents Defending Education found that Illinois’ Evanston Township High School Health Center offered acupuncture, gynecologic care, “mental health services,” “reproductive services,” and testing for sexually transmitted diseases to students.
Most shockingly, parents weren’t notified about the types of services their children requested. After getting a simple permission slip from parents, students were given “full access to use the health center’s services,” Parents Defending Education’s investigation found.

According to the student newspaper at Evanston Township High School, students were able to get “prescriptions for short-term hormonal birth control like the birth control pill” without any parental consent form.
Schools in California, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington have documented policies and guidelines for SBHCs that suggest similar services to students. Most notably, Parents Defending Education exposed a Missouri school in 2023 for reaching out to the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital over questions about using chest binders for “transitioning students,” including several children in fifth grade.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Last March, Biden administration Education Secretary Miguel Cardona attempted to reverse conservative gains on education with an op-ed published in Florida’s second-largest newspaper.

He expressed an opinion? In a newspaper?

To the fainting couch!

 

[Vambram]

He expressed an opinion? In a newspaper?

To the fainting couch!

LoL

Anything serious that you would to comment about instead of cherry picking one very small portion of my posts?

 

[NxNW]

Anything serious that you would to comment about instead of cherry picking one very small portion of my posts?

None of the writing in the post seemed reliable. Weaponizing school policy? LOLz.

 

[NxNW]

Illinois’ Evanston Township High School Health Center offered acupuncture, gynecologic care, “mental health services,” “reproductive services,” and testing for sexually transmitted diseases to students.

Gosh, we wouldn't want students getting medical treatment, would we?

Most shockingly, parents weren’t notified about the types of services their children requested.

Children aren't notifying parents when they're having sex, either. Since the parents are clearly incompetent, somebody had to step in.

After getting a simple permission slip from parents, students were given “full access to use the health center’s services,” Parents Defending Education’s investigation found.

Wait, so parents DID give permission.

According to the student newspaper at Evanston Township High School, students were able to get “prescriptions for short-term hormonal birth control like the birth control pill” without any parental consent form.

See above.

 

[KCfromNC]

According to the student newspaper at Evanston Township High School, students were able to get “prescriptions for short-term hormonal birth control like the birth control pill” without any parental consent form.

And when I pointed out culture war far right conservatives were coming for birth control next, I was assured it wasn't going to happen.

Anyway, I appreciate the attempt to conflate birth control pills with hormone therapy to rile up low information voters who are already upset other people can make medical decisions they don't agree with.