Parental Rights: Unveiling the Battlefront in Education, Guest: Michelle Cooper, Chico, CA

This episode delves into the intricate topics surrounding parental involvement in education, spotlighting recent events and legal confrontations. It zeroes in on a case in California where a school district's policy was questioned for not alerting parents when their children opted to change their pronouns or gender identity.

In this episode, Suzanne discusses a lawsuit lodged by a parent against a California school district. The parent claimed that the school had covertly facilitated a social transition for her child without her knowledge or consent. Suzanne elaborates on the specifics of the case, highlighting the school's policy which concealed certain details about students' gender identity and expression from their parents. Additionally, the podcast touches upon other comparable cases and settlements across various California regions.

Suzanne offers actionable advice for parents eager to stay updated and active in their child's educational journey. This includes attending school board meetings, perusing the curriculum, and networking with fellow parents. The importance of fostering transparent communication between parents and children is accentuated.

This episode also presents an interview with Michelle Cooper, a leading figure from Chico, California. She articulates her reasons for associating with Parents Rights and Education and the challenges her local community has encountered concerning parental rights in education. Michelle provides a deeper understanding of a particular case in which a child's gender transition was kept confidential from the parent, an incident that ignited her passion and active participation in the movement.

Transcript

Hanna  0:01  

Welcome back to the parents rights and education podcast. We are a grassroots movement of millions of parents and allies standing together speaking as one to protect children and ensure parents crucial role in their child's education is protected. We come alongside millions of parents and allies and equip them to stand up for their rights by free trainings, membership and community support. You can join this movement for free by visiting parents rights and education.com. And hey, if you love the work that we're doing, please leave us a five star review. Your review helps us get out our message and allows us to keep advocating for parents rights. Thanks so much for being here. Let's get into today's topic.

Suzanne Gallagher  0:38  

Hey guys, it's great to be back with you today. I wanted to remind you of our new site feature on our website, you can now select your affiliate. We have affiliate groups nationwide and now with our updated membership form, you can select which affiliate group you would like to join. So even if you are already a member, make sure to update your membership and select your affiliate. The Great Northwest awakening which is happening on Saturday, October 21. And Brookfield Washington is a must please take a look at that. And you know get a group together make a weekend of it. I want to meet you see you in Richfield on October 21. And the next item is the parents rights and education zoom training calls now these are training calls. So productive you will not regret getting on one of these calls. Now. These are held every Saturday. And this Saturday, we are covering the Should I run for office lesson in how to win your school board election training course. So these courses are made up of many different many different classes. If you want to see more on these events, check out our website parents rights and education.com. Next up California confidentiality policies keeping parents in the dark are on the chopping block resulting in rules and lawsuits from a leftist Attorney General and judge. Item number one, San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Thomas S. Garza halls a district policy requiring parents to be told if kids change their pronouns. This ruling came after California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the Chino Valley Unified School District for adopting a policy requiring schools to tell parents when their children change their pronouns or use a bathroom of a gender other than the one listed on their official paperwork. When he sued he Bonta stated that the school district policy was a forced outing policy and would harm LGBTQ students. Excuse me, forced outing to their own parent. Come on. Garza has order halts the district's policy while bond his lawsuit continues. Now the next court hearing on this issue is scheduled for October 13. We'll be watching. In the meantime, parents are fighting back. California school district pays $100,000 to settle a suit saying it's supported secret transitioning of a student. Wow, California is really schizophrenic aren't they? Now this was a big win for parents rights and a warning to other schools that attempt to keep information from parents. The Spreckels Union School District which encompasses an elementary and middle school in the Salinas area, paid nearly $100,000 to a Monterey County mom and daughter over an alleged violation of the parents 14th Amendment right to raise her child. Way to go I love this. Now this legal action was pursued by Jessica Conan and her daughter Alicia, who went by the initials A G. She was 11 years old at the time. The lawsuit alleged that teachers and administrators at Buena Vista Middle School secretly convinced a G that she was bisexual, and later socially transgender while she attended the school's equality club, now they're calling it an equality club well, and then they later changed it to the Ubu club. Now, the child started using a new name and pronouns and the school began to change a G's name on educational records the lawsuit said the student was also granted access to a teacher's unisex bathroom. No parental notification or consent was required. Now, according to the lawsuit, school personnel encourage the student not to inform her mom, which caused her to suffer profound mental stress. On campus, teachers and staff would address the student under the new name, while reverting to a G when communicating with Conan, her mom, according to the lawsuit, the school's unofficial stance now this is unofficial, was endorsed by the principal, and was a parental secrecy policy in which teachers and staff would, quote, keep certain information about students gender identity and expression, secret from parents. All that according to the lawsuit now you can find these and other timely articles on our website.

Hanna  6:05  

Hey, parents, we know it's super overwhelming fighting the battle of advocating for your rights and your child's education. That's why we created the parents center. Within the parent center there is free training, membership opportunities, a place for you to get advice, share your story and find an affiliate near you. Visit our website parents right to education.com to see the parent center and utilize all the tools we have available for you. We are here to support you.

Suzanne Gallagher  6:32  

Okay, guys, you know what, this is the first question that we get from parents. I mean, literally every time I speak, I speak to them, they'll say how do I find out what is going on in my child's classroom. With school back in session, now is the perfect time to become familiar with the various ways you can be involved and present in your child's education. Visit your child's school or school district website. Now large districts may have a separate site for the school board. Read and download policies and guidelines may take a little time but it's worth the effort because you need to know what they are. also attend or watch virtually school board meetings, dates and times and agendas of upcoming meetings should be posted in advance on these sites. You have the right to attend these public meetings. You don't need to ask permission or say why you are there unless you are going to testify. Now if you think you want to testify, follow up procedures to sign up in advance or at the meeting. Now you can always pass if you get cold feet, that's understandable. But if you haven't signed up in advance, you won't be able to say a word. Note the time restrictions and honor them. Be sure to take our online course about how to testify. Look for volunteer opportunities allowing you to be in the school or the classroom, you want to be present. If you have the time to do that. Do it at 10, back to school night, and any other opportunities for engagement with administrators and teachers. request in writing via letter or email very important to review the curriculum before it is taught. At the start of the school year. You want a reply in writing, the school's response is important to document. Read the material your child brings home from school. Make it a daily activity between you and your child. If your child's school, uses an online portal for instruction, request access to credentials so that you can review the curriculum yourself and document their response. Connect with other parents from the class. Now this is key guys. communicate what you are seeing and hearing to other parents so important. We always caution parents not to go alone to any meeting with school related staff. Discuss with your child, what was said at school, establish an open line of communication so that they can tell you anything that happens even if an adult told them to keep it a secret. So these are just a few of the ways you could make it known that you are an involved parent in your child's education. Now whether you utilize the suggestions or create your own. The important thing is to make it clear to this Cool in the teacher, that you are paying attention. Always be respectful and sincerely open to feedback. Make allies within the school walls. Ask questions, hey, a good listener finds out more information than a know it all. When we return, we will have our Chico California affiliate leader, Michelle Cooper on to discuss the state of parents rights in her area of California.

Hanna  10:38  

Deal with the work we're doing here at parents rights in education and want to know how you can become more involved. Become a member for free today. By becoming a member you can connect with your local leadership in access to our free training and advice and stay up to date with the latest issues joined today for free by visiting parents rights in education.com/join. That parents rights in education.com/join.

Suzanne Gallagher  11:04  

Well, today we have a privilege of speaking with Michelle Cooper, who is one of our newest affiliates in California, she lives in Chico. Welcome, Michelle. It's so great to have you on today.

Michelle Cooper  11:18  

Good morning, Suzanne. Thank you for having me. I'm in Chico, California. And we've had some issues going on in our district. And I was looking to form up parental rights group. And so I was just searching around on the internet looking for some content. And lo and behold came across Parents Rights in Education. And as I, you know, learned and read about your group, I thought, well, this is exactly what we've been looking for and what we want for our community. And I didn't see a need to reinvent the wheel at that point. So I sent in my, my, my questions and asked to join and become an affiliate.

Suzanne Gallagher  12:01  

Awesome, awesome. And I do believe I called you pretty soon after that happened. You did? Yes. Yeah, we had a great conversation. I'm so proud of what you're doing. So tell us about the issue that motivated you to take action. Final thing, you know that and that's enough, I'm definitely gonna do some here.

Michelle Cooper  12:20  

Yeah, the wake up call. We actually had a parent. It was around January that had filed a lawsuit against our district for socially transitioning her child who was under the age of 11. without her knowledge or consent. And so that was a big eye opener for myself for a lot of parents in our district. And at that point, it was like, Okay, we need to step in. We need to try to make some changes here. What is going on? And that's when we learned that our district had a policy of keeping secrets from parents that we weren't really aware of before that.

Suzanne Gallagher  12:57  

Okay, sure. So what did that transitioning look alike? And what was the first clue that this was going on? How did the mom find out?

Michelle Cooper  13:05  

Yeah, so apparently, the mom had had a cancer diagnosis and her father had died. And so the child was just having a lot of emotions and feeling a little distraught, which the mom had communicated with the school about. And so the school had put the child in some guidance counseling, which was conveyed to the mom is more like arts and crafts hour. And at that point, the child made some mentioned, like, I feel like a boy. Well, right at that moment, without any other questioning, the counselor took the child back to the classroom, introduced her as a as different pronouns, picked a new name, and then actually had clothes at the school that the child could change into when she came to school. And when the child asked, conveyed that she wanted to tell her mom about all of this, she was told not to. She was she was told to keep it a secret. And eventually, the child had just so so many emotions about it, she went and told the grandmother and the grandmother then, you know, told the mom what was going on. And this was, I want to say, I think it was about a six month period that this happened. And at that point, the child's like, I'm really not a boy, I I'm a girl and I want to be a girl. So, you know, the mom did the right thing. She went to the principal who was told nope, the district has to keep this secret. It's our policy. Actually, what she said was, it's the law, which we know it's not. And then she escalated it to the district who said the same thing. I mean, she she did all the right things, the right steps, and eventually she she felt like she needed to get an attorney and and handle the situation.

Suzanne Gallagher  14:43  

So do you know who the attorney is? Is it a local attorney? Or? It's Harmeet? Dhillon, Harmeet Dillon, okay, awesome.

Michelle Cooper  14:52  

Yeah, she was able she was able to get their group to help.

Suzanne Gallagher  14:57  

And what is the name of that organization?

Michelle Cooper  15:00  

I believe it's American liberty, but I'm not positive. It escapes me at the moment. Okay,

Suzanne Gallagher  15:05  

sure. That's fine. Yeah. So. So where does it stand now?

Michelle Cooper  15:12  

So actually the case was dismissed. However, she is filing an appeal. Oh, and I think there were some technicalities within in the lawsuit that that the reason why it was dismissed, but they are filing an appeal. And as we're seeing there's there's been some other cases recently one in Monterey, where the district did settle with a parent. And so I think we're seeing maybe some precedent set and that this appeal will, we'll go through,

Suzanne Gallagher  15:40  

okay. Okay, golly, what what is it about this situation? That is probably the most shocking to you, as someone who's come in and kind of like, new to the scene? And what how did you feel about it when you started hearing the report from this mom.

Michelle Cooper  16:03  

So, you know, again, we didn't know that our district had a policy of keeping secrets from parents. And since then, we've learned so much more, they actually have intake form. So if a if a child comes to, you know, any member or staff member in a school and says, I want to go by different pronouns, I want to change my gender or whatever, they have a whole intake form. And that form, actually, it states on that form, do not put this in the child's file, it gets kept in a separate file in a locked cabinet. And so, you know, we didn't realize that, as as we dug that this, how deep this goes, and how far this district is trying to interfere in a child's life and not let their parents help them or participate in this process. So, you know, if to me, if a child comes and says, Hey, I think I'm a different gender, I'm feeling a little weird about this. I think that the first call should be to the parents and say, you know, what, your child's having an issue, I think you should come in, we should have a meeting, we should give you resources, and let that conversation start at home.

Suzanne Gallagher  17:17  

Absolutely, totally agree. We're 100%. Behind that. Michelle, what, what was it that that motivated the school? Now let's think about this? What was it that motivated the school to make that decision that we should not tell the parent? Are there any situations when they tell the parent, you understand what I'm saying, like, without without much provocation, it sounds like they just automatically made that decision.

Michelle Cooper  17:54  

So their stance is that they ask the child and if the child says they're not comfortable telling the parents that they automatically assume that the child might be abused in the home, if the parents were to know, and they don't want a child to be abused. And you know, as we know, schools, staff, they're all mandated reporters. And so if there's a history of abuse going on in the home, I think we're gonna know about it far beyond this topic comes up. And so that's kind of a little far fetched to think that all homes are abusive, and it which is really how they're treating it, they're treating it like, we're just not going to tell any parent because that child might be in danger. And without giving the parents you know, any type of warning or right or ability to help their their child. And you know, and what the district says is, well, this is what the the California, California Department of Education is telling us we have to do. And that's where they're saying it's the law. And we know well, that's just guidance. They're just giving you guidance, this is not a law. We don't have to abide by it. And and as we know, districts all around California now are saying no, we're not going to adopt this policy. We're going to change it.

Suzanne Gallagher  19:19  

Terrific. I like hearing that. So do you think that that school boards are beginning to realize what what is happening here and how these departments of education are misinterpreting the legislation, etc. And putting this into place? Because we haven't we hear this from all across the country, that it is being implemented. In fact, our first call when I took this role as executive director of parents rights and education in Oregon, was from Iowa. And it was about a similar situation. That The child was a senior in high school. But she had been transitioned at school, seeing a counselor in the school and made an announcement to her mother, unfortunately, much later than this 11 year old, but made this announcement in a counseling session on her birthday, January of her senior year, when she turned 18. And by that time, unfortunately, there was nothing the parent could do about it. But this is not new. It is it is protocol in in this situation for schools and staff to just take the lead, and make that determination based upon what a miner says about their parent. And they're actually leading them into this decision. It sounds like to me. Yeah, I

Michelle Cooper  20:58  

think that they're, they're trying to make the parent the enemy. When you know, the the child's not making the parent, the enemy, I think like this, the schools and the staff sometimes do. And I'm not saying all school staff are bad, I have some great relationships with a lot of staff in our district. You know, I I'm actually married to a teacher. So

Suzanne Gallagher  21:21  

that is a really important point. Michelle, thank you for bringing that up. Because no, of course in our organization doesn't see every teacher has been an enemy. Right. It's, it's just that when there is policy, right, that, that that is potentially coming between parents and children, we are concerned?

Michelle Cooper  21:45  

Well, I think what we're seeing now, too, is we're seeing a lot of teachers who are at maybe close to retirement age, just go ahead, they're just gonna go ahead and saying, I'm just gonna retire now, because I don't want to lie to parents. I, you know, don't want to follow this policy. And I've actually known some people who have done that, and which is sad, because they love what they do. But they just can't abide by these policies. I also think we're seeing a lot of school board change, because parents are waking up and seeing all of this and they're electing new officials to come in and and who are going to adopt these policies that say, No, we're not going to keep secrets from parents, which is great. I mean, I'm glad we're seeing that because it gives us all hope that that we can make change.

Suzanne Gallagher  22:37  

You're absolutely right. And thank you. Yes, absolutely. Right, we do have hope we're winning. That's what you're telling me? Yeah, we are winning. So what do you hope to accomplish with parents rights and education that you couldn't have done alone?

Michelle Cooper  22:52  

So what I think is that this is a great platform for people to see that even though we're facing these challenges here in Chico, California, that we're not alone, that there are people all over the country that are that are seeing the same thing and facing the same challenges. And again, you know, like you said, we're winning, we're seeing changes in other places, and it gives us hope that we can make change here as well. So that's what I love, I love I love, you know, posting everything that comes from all over the country and saying, look, they can do it, so can we. So that's what I really appreciate about, about this platform.

Suzanne Gallagher  23:31  

Thank you so much. Thank you for your time this morning, Michelle, and I want people to understand that we're doing this interview at 7am. Because you have other responsibilities in your life, and you you're going to work this morning. And and so this isn't a full time responsibility, and that we all have a responsibility to be involved in our local areas. And that's why we we are proud to say we're a grassroots organization. And our job is to help you to have influence in your local community. Thank you so much, Michelle, I appreciate knowing you and I'm so proud of what you're doing.

Michelle Cooper  24:14  

Well, thanks for having me. And thanks for this group. I really appreciate it.

Hanna  24:18  

Thank you so much for listening to today's episode. To keep up with everything we're doing. Check out our website, parents rights and education.com and sign up for our newsletter. You can also join our movement for free by visiting our website parents rights and education.com. To do your part in protecting parents rights. You can become a club 12 by 12 member by donating $12 a month. It takes all of us to make the change that we want to see. Thanks so much for listening. Talk soon.