Equipping Parents
The most effective force of bringing about change in education is well-informed and equipped parents. Understanding what your rights are, how to ensure your authority is not being usurped, and what resources are available to assist you in your advocacy are important components. We place a strong emphasis on understanding the basics of what has worked and what has failed in the American education system over the past decades. We hope these resources will be a catalyst for that learning process. We will continually update our website so parents can access the most up-to-date information.
Downloadable version of our Back to School Toolkit is available at the bottom of this page.
Get Educated
History of education & how it evolved…
Understanding American education today
What is Wrong With our Schools, Daniel Buck
7 Myths of Education, Daisy Christodoulou
Government’s attempt to control the mind, body, soul & hearts of our children
What is classical education?
What is common core?
Curriculum vs. Standards
Measuring student performance
Political contributions of educators
Civics legislation tracker
Esser funding
On March 27, 2020 federal legislation established a three-layer shroud called the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund to support K-12 school re-openings and “pandemic” recovery. ESSER is the most money ever given to public education—11 times more than annual Title I spending and five times more than total federal K-12 spending in 2019-2020.
https://oese.ed.gov/files/2020/05/ESSER-Fund-Frequently-Asked-Questions.pdf
Parental rights
A Vision for Freedom Series (Part 3): The Importance of Parental Rights.
Many states have adopted a Parent’s Bill of Rights into law. Check to see if your state is included!
https://parentalrights.org/states/
Learn your rights as a parent and educate others on this important topic.
Southeastern Legal Foundation PARENT guidebook:
https://www.slfliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/05/SLFParentGuidebook.pdf
A guide to civil discourse on today’s college campuses
Federal Student Privacy Laws
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is the Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.
FERPA applies to all schools that receive federal US Department of Education funds.
The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, PPRA, is also a Federal Law that includes the following protected areas of student privacy:
- Political affiliations or belief
- mental or psychological problems of the student or student’s family
- sex behaviors or attitudes
- religious practices
- affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parents
PPRA also concerns marketing surveys and other areas of student privacy, parental access to information, and the administration of certain physical examinations to minors.
Title IX Toolkit
A historic federal lawsuit brought by Moms for Liberty against the Department of Education (DOE) challenging the Biden administration’s rewrite of Title IX regulations led to a federal district court issuing a landmark preliminary injunction prohibiting the DOE from enforcing these changes in several states and at the schools attended by the children of members of Moms for Liberty.
Read more about the ruling and find detailed instructions on how to opt-in your child’s school here:
Social emotional learning (SEL)
- https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-a-research-update-on-social-emotional-learning-in-schools/
- https://www.utahparentsunited.org/sel.html
- https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xp623wdnj68afa4/AABu6XvKLQMjWxjZE_8UkAbUa?dl=0&preview=15+Harmful+Elements+of+SEL+FULL+EXPLANATION.docx
- https://open.substack.com/pub/lisalogan/p/selesgsocial-credit-system?r=v5t3a&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
- https://www.aei.org/research-products/testimony/the-trouble-with-social-emotional-learning/
- https://defendinged.org/sel/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4NujBhC5ARIsAF4Iv6dNIyPytUQL7kiO71RCqsL0wc5JnVvK1W8ayq6yVNWWx1-Q2iQ90TcaAqMYEALw_wcB
- https://courageisahabit.org
What is the concern with surveys?
- Survey data is allowed to be collected for mental health assessments. Every child is considered “at risk” for trauma. Will this data collected be used to create a psychological profile that follows your child through college and the workforce? Did you know that you can opt your child out of surveys? Most surveys are NOT required and therefore NOT protected by PPRA. Schools are only required to notify parents of a survey being given. Only an OPT-OUT is allowed.
Comprehensive sex ed
https://www.protectstudenthealth.com/cse
https://www.comprehensivesexualityeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/Harmful-Effects-10.17.17.pdf
OPT OUT FORMS:
https://www.protectstudenthealth.com/defenderstoolkit
DOCUMENTARY: The Mind Polluters
DOCUMENTARY: The Children of Table 34
School-based health clinics
A federal agenda seeks to rapidly expand School-based Health Centers. Government agencies are funneling millions of grant dollars into states across America to expand school-based health services.
https://standforhealthfreedom.com/blog/sbhc/
https://standforhealthfreedom.com/?s=school+based+health+clinics
Obscenity & pornography in Public Schools
American Library Association (ALA)
The American Library Association (ALA) does NOT believe reading materials should be restricted for ANY age: Access to Library Resources and Services for Minors: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights (2019)
Library policies and procedures that deny minors equal and equitable access to all library resources available to other users violate the Library Bill of Rights. The ALA opposes attempts to restrict access to library services, materials, and facilities based on the age of library users.
Critical Race Theory
What is Queer Theory?
Transgender industry
Learning 2025
Learning 2025 is a nationwide effort by the Superintendents Association to bring Marxist ideologies into school districts as pilot programs all while evading detection from the majority of teachers, parents, community members, and legislators. After the pilot programs are successfully put into action, the process of adopting these ideologies as an official district-wide framework, which subsequently influences the entire education system, becomes considerably smoother.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/nationwide-program-utilizing-ai-schools-turn-kids-robots-warn-critics
https://www.foxnews.com/media/cdc-linked-pervasive-curriculum-sweeping-public-schools-nationwide
Parenting resources
Even the most experienced parent can find today’s culture challenging to navigate. It’s nice to have resources that speak truth with love, honesty and integrity. We welcome you to check these out.
Take Action
Family Engagement Activities
Opt-out forms
courage-is-a-habit-opt-out-campaign.pdf
Opt out forms for Comprehensive sex-ed:
https://www.protectstudenthealth.com/defenderstoolkit
Opt out forms for school based health clinic:
Book appeals
Visit your school system’s website to locate the policies & procedures established by your school board, where you will search for a “Book Appeal Process” or “controversial material appeal” policy. Freedom in Education has partnered with RatedBooks.org to educate parents and communities on the content in books found in school media centers. You can read more about how the rating system was developed, search a vast database of reading material, and review detailed reports on each book that documents how it acquired its rating.
https://www.ratedbooks.org/freedomineducation
https://freedomineducation.substack.com/p/845f8bde-9452-4e47-9e82-a8af5d252017
Digital safety
Technology allows us to create, source and share information faster than ever before and has changed many lives for the better. But, like all things in this world, it has been corrupted by those who wish to profit from the mistreatment of others. Online safety is of the utmost importance to preserve childhood innocence in this digital age, and we are working to spread public awareness and empower parents to address this topic. According to the FBI, there are over 500,000 predators online at any given moment. They are continuously luring young and unsuspecting teens and preteens with an array of schemes. Predators know exactly what questions to ask to find out if parents are monitoring their children’s devices. One predator may reach out to over one hundred kids a day to get just one or two to respond. Don’t let that be your child! ANY child can become a victim to online grooming. Educate teens on the dangers of engaging with strangers online and then set up appropriate controls.
The sexual exploitation of minors is an intricate problem with no single solution. But together, we can ensure all children are protected. Learn about the issues, solutions and options by accessing this amazing handbook handbook for parents and teachers Streetgrace.org:
KEEPING KIDS SAFE IN THE DIGITAL AGE HANDBOOK
Transparency & FOIA
FOIA laws empower parents with a tool to keep their school districts transparent and hold them accountable. If parents are not getting answers to their questions, FOIA is a simple process and upheld by laws in every state. Sunshine laws promote transparency by requiring certain proceedings of government agencies to be open or available to the public.
https://freedomineducation.substack.com/p/0d13f5b5-1693-43f0-9c1c-96a07edf37aa
Check out these sources for more information:
https://www.ncsl.org/cls/public-records-law-and-state-legislatures
Effective communication between parents and schools
Effective communication between parents and schools is vital to the educational success and well-being of children. We have provided some information and forms that will make that line of communication clear and concise.
https://freedomineducation.substack.com/p/02a24ec6-9f7a-4f66-a863-b06394c9fdce
Public comment at board of education meetings
County Board of Education meetings have an allotted time where taxpayers and parents can make public comments. Check your county’s education website for their rules on public comments at board meetings.
Petitions
A petition is a formal request, typically one signed by many people, appealing to authority with respect to a particular cause.
Create a petition here: https://ourfight.online
Demand Letter Templates
A demand letter is a formal document sent by one party to another in order to resolve a dispute.
Legal inquiry
If you find yourself needing legal representation, Freedom in Education can provide guidance and in many cases has sourced pro bono legal services for parents.
Freedom In Education Printables
Freedom In Education Brochure
Printable Back to School Toolkit
FIE Rack Card
Freedom In Education Brochure - Espanol
FIE Rack Card - Espanol
FIE Rack Card - Content over Skills
