The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that the Civil Rights Division will help uphold parental rights in America’s educational system by watching for violations.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi explained that the direction is a response to parents having been targeted for speaking out against the radical gender and racial ideologies taught in government-run schools. Her office is seeking to undo the damage to parental rights pursued by the Biden administration.
In 2021, the National School Boards Association sent a letter to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting assistance dealing with parents who were perceived as threats to school officials. These parents were voicing concerns over what was being taught in classrooms, but the NSBA compared them to “domestic terrorists.”
Several months later, records about the incident were obtained after Texas and 13 other states sued the federal government for its failure to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request. The records showed that the letter resulted from collusion with the Biden administration and led to a directive from Garland that targeted parents.
Bondi’s latest directive seeks to reaffirm parents’ fundamental rights to direct their children’s moral and religious education and to express their views in meetings without being silenced or punished.
“Parents are the primary authority over their children’s education and upbringing, and they must be able to speak freely at school board meetings without fear of retaliation or intimidation,” Brady Gray, president of Texas Family Project, told Texas Scorecard.
Gray added that protecting parental rights in school settings is essential for safeguarding childhood innocence, restoring truth in learning, and strengthening the family as the cornerstone of a free and moral society.
“Schools exist to educate children, not to impose radical ideologies or silence families,” said Gray. “The Trump administration’s meaningful steps to protect parental rights in education is encouraging; this must remain in the public light to ensure parents are never silenced again.”
Bondi’s directive clearly warns that school board members, administrators, and other government officials will be held accountable if they threaten law-abiding parents.
“We are restoring the rule of law and returning the federal government to the people it serves,” reads Bondi’s announcement. “This Department stands with America’s parents.”
