The November elections are quickly approaching and it’s important to remember the agenda the Democrats were pushing when they controlled the White House and Congress. The progressive left was intent on silencing parents while they pushed gender ideology in schools. The Obama administration told schools they had to allow boys in girls’ bathrooms, and the Biden administration tried to rewrite the Title IX program to allow school personnel to secretly transition kids. The Trump administration has made great strides in reversing these types of policies through the Department of Education (DOE), and now the Republican controlled Congress must step in to protect children permanently and give grassroots voters a clear reason to re-elect them this fall.
Despite President Trump’s Executive Order “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” parents are finding that some local schools are still engaged in these harmful practices. In Santa Ana, California, public records show that 260 students changed their gender identity and name since 2017. Parents have complained about the books and curriculum that foster confusion and make children vulnerable to coercion. To make matters worse, the school board approved a policy in 2023 allowing transgender students to change their names and pronouns and use opposite sex bathrooms, as well as join sports teams based not on sex but on perceived ‘gender identity’. One parent who has been outspoken against these changes, Andrea Tapia, told the Daily Caller:
I would want the opportunity to speak to my child before having a teacher or a staff member at school change their identity. I would want to remind them that they are made in the image of God. They are made with a purpose and that they are perfect just the way they are.
The Santa Ana Unified School District wasn’t the only California district to push gender ideology. In January, the Department of Education (EdD) announced that the California Board of Education violated federal law by secretly transitioning students. The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) ensures that parents have access to their children’s education records; however, school personnel went to great lengths to hide this information from parents. Since 2022, teachers discussed in emails how to change a student’s name without tipping off parents. They even petitioned software companies to hide name and pronoun changes. In the 2023-2024 school year, at least 300 students were placed on “gender support plans” — some without the consent of parents.
On the same day, the Education Department slapped down the California Board of Education, and they also announced an investigation into Denver Public Schools for their decision to change a girls’ bathroom into an “all-gender” bathroom. This is a flagrant violation of Title IX policy, which requires sex-separated facilities. Education Secretary Linda McMahon is using current federal law and policy to protect parents and students across the country.
To ensure that the good work being undertaken is not undone in the future, Congress must also act. This week, the House of Representatives began moving a bill that would give parents more insight and control over the well-being of their children. The Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act (H.R. 2616) is a combination of bills authored by Representatives Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Burgess Owens (R-UT) that will require parental notification if a child seeks to socially transition, including adopting a new name and pronouns and wanting to use different bathrooms or locker rooms. It also contains language that prohibits funding for public schools that insist on teaching gender ideology. After the bill’s introduction, Rep. Owens stated:
Young children should be honored and protected, not told that something’s wrong with their body or that they should mutilate themselves in order to look like another gender. Radical ideologues should never get taxpayer money to tell vulnerable children they are born in the wrong body.
Eagle Forum sent out an alert to our grassroots, urging House members to vote for H.R. 2616, which will soon go to a floor vote. We will add those votes to our Congressional Scorecard. Also, visit Eagle Forum PAC’s website to see who we have endorsed and to pass along our Candidate Questionnaire to candidates running for federal office who will fight to protect children.
The November mid-term elections are so important to furthering faith, family and freedom. More pro-family champions must be elected so that Congress can codify (make permanent in law) the many actions that the Trump Administration has taken to protect our children and our parental rights. We know the radical pro-transgender, pro-abortion, anti-parental rights forces are planning to undo all our recent successes if they retake Congress. Please consider a generous donation to Eagle Forum PAC today to enable us to assist conservative candidates across the country.