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Tag: Moms for Liberty

  • 3 takeaways from the Moms for Liberty summit

    3 takeaways from the Moms for Liberty summit

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    This is an edition of our Future of Learning newsletter. Sign up today to get it delivered straight to your inbox.

    What you need to know

    Hechinger’s executive editor, Nirvi Shah, joins us this week to share what she learned at the recent Moms for Liberty summit and how the organization’s targeted focus on transgender students helped lead to a temporary block to portions of President Joe Biden’s new Title IX regulations in some states. 

    You found that schools even in the same district are following different Title IX regs. What does this mean for students? 

    The big takeaway: These are confusing times. Federal court rulings have paused *requiring* schools in some states to follow new Biden administration regulations on sex discrimination. And individual schools in other states are also exempt from being *forced* to adopt those rules, though local school boards, generally, can adopt the regulation. The reality on the ground is, however, that schools within some districts may be following different federal rules about Title IX, which makes for an administrative mess. 

    Hechinger’s Sarah Butrymowicz created a pair of searchable databases to see which colleges and K-12 schools do not have to follow the Biden administration, but the list can change — 1,700 schools were added during the week of the Moms for Liberty summit — so make note of the time stamp.

    After some defeats for Moms for Liberty-backed school board candidates, observers have questioned whether the group’s influence has waned. What’s your assessment of the group’s strategy? 

    The group is still big on endorsing school board candidates, and school board races are the only elected office for which it makes endorsements, co-founder Tiffany Justice told me and Hechinger writer Laura Pappano in an interview during the summit. (Justice endorsed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump personally during a one-on-one chat the two had at the M4L summit over Labor Day weekend in D.C.) Justice reiterated in our interview that “All politics is local,” and that the group wants power to be closest to the people and not the federal Education Department. “So how do you solve that? You make sure that you have strong local school boards who answer to their constituents.”

    School board races aside, many, including Moms for Liberty, would characterize it as a significant victory — for local schools and like-minded parents — that they got a federal court to agree to preferences of Moms for Liberty member parents on which Title IX regulation should apply at their children’s schools, even if Justice said it was something she never imagined when the group got its start during the pandemic. 

    What most surprised you about this year’s Moms for Liberty summit? 

    This was the theme of our story: this laser-like focus on transgender issues at schools. It came up often and was at the center of many speeches and breakout sessions. In the past, the group has had a more expansive message but this year, they seem to have one specific target. “There’s no such thing as a transgender child. Please quote me on that,” Justice told us. “There are children who are experiencing mental distress and they need kindness and compassion and help to feel comfortable in their own bodies, because no child is born in the wrong body. There is no right way to be a boy or a girl.”

    What we are reading

    All-charter no more: New Orleans opens its first traditional school in nearly two decades 

    My colleague, Ariel Gilreath, reports on the opening of the first traditional school run by the New Orleans school district since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. 

    Theater, economics and psychology: Climate class is now in session

    Hechinger Report editor Caroline Preston launched her climate change newsletter (which you can sign up for here) with a look at how some colleges are embedding climate-related instruction into diverse fields.

    Students aren’t benefiting much from tutoring, one new study shows

    Despite billions in federal funding during the pandemic, a new study shows that tutoring to help students catch up on learning losses hasn’t yielded great results, reports Hechinger columnist Jill Barshay.

    How transparent are state school report cards about the effects of COVID?

    Most states are failing to help parents understand how the pandemic negatively affected students’ academic performance and attendance, according to a new report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education. This may be because some school districts didn’t have quality longitudinal data on absenteeism and other measures before the pandemic and have not made that data public. 

    Characteristics associated with English Learners’ academic performance

    Having a teacher of the same race, and attending a school with a higher percentage of students enrolled in dual language immersion English instruction, is associated with better reading scores for English learners, according to a new analysis by the Government Accountability Office. Hechinger Report contributor Kavitha Cardoza wrote recently about a former superintendent’s fraught efforts to make his Alabama district more welcoming for English learners. 

    A framework for digital equity

    In this report, nonprofit group Digital Promise explains how K-12 schools can take a leadership role in ensuring Black, Hispanic, Native American and rural students have equal access to high speed internet, computers and digital literacy training. I wrote about these digital divides in an article about the 2024 National Education Technology Plan.

    How Americans feel about hot-button education issues

    About 60 percent of people support school vouchers, according to a new poll from news outlet The 19th and SurveyMonkey. Eight-seven percent of respondents want schools to teach about the history of slavery and racism, 60 percent favor instruction on Judeo-Christian values, and 51 percent support instruction on LGBTQ+ people in history and literature. 

    From the vault

    When my colleague Sarah Butrymowicz began reporting on education in 2010, cell phones in the classroom were all the rage. Educators and experts hoped that allowing students access to their own devices in school would revolutionize learning. Now that’s changed, of course: A growing number of districts and states are banning the devices or clamping down on cell phone use (and in some cases even Chromebooks and tablets), arguing that they distract students from learning and pose threats to young people’s mental health. 

    Cell phone use also frequently leads to behavior problems. Sarah spent months last winter examining thousands of discipline records from a dozen school districts as part of Hechinger’s series on school discipline, Suspended for … what? Cell phones played a role in hundreds of student suspensions. Students were suspended for refusing to give up their phones, recording teachers, blaring music or taking videos, and taking calls in the middle of class. As cell phone bans spread, we’ll be following whether some of these discipline issues subside – or whether there’s an uptick in discipline and suspensions as schools punish kids and send them home for refusing to follow the bans. 

    Et cetera

    Do we need to rethink school policies that put parents on the hook for paying for lost or damaged digital devices? Michael Wear, chief executive officer of the Center for Christianity & Public Life, recently used X to draw attention to this issue: “As someone who grew up in a family that struggled financially, I really think school districts need to think carefully about the ethics and ramifications of mandating kids accept a $1000 electronic device that they didn’t ask for, and then telling parents that if anything happens to the device the family will have to compensate the district for the loss.”

    This story about Moms for Liberty was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter.

    The Hechinger Report provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education that is free to all readers. But that doesn’t mean it’s free to produce. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient. Help us keep doing that.

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    Javeria Salman

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  • Moms For Liberty Goes All In On Transphobia

    Moms For Liberty Goes All In On Transphobia

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    WASHINGTON ― Hundreds of mostly white women gathered at a swanky downtown hotel to hear prominent conservative speakers and strategize with other moms about how to spread their message across the country.

    Decked out in everything from stylish pantsuits, light-up American-flag jackets and, obviously, Donald Trump swag, the crowd at the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors National Summit cheered and hollered as speaker after speaker spewed hate about transgender people ― all under the guise of protecting children.

    Moms for Liberty, a far-right group that largely focuses on getting conservative parents elected to school boards, grew out of the pushback against pandemic school closures and masking requirements. It has since morphed into a so-called parental rights organization that rails against racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights, and takes up such causes as pushing schools to remove books that don’t embody the group’s conservative values.

    At the 2024 summit this week, the focus was on fearmongering about trans kids and criticizing school employees who support them.

    “There’s no such thing as a transgender child,” Tiffany Justice, a co-founder of Moms for Liberty, told HuffPost in an interview.

    Her position is a common one among conservatives, who have taken to attacking trans rights around the country ― even as less than 1% of the U.S. population identifies as trans. The right wing has attacked gender-affirming care as “child abuse,” though the American Pediatrics Association says such care can be lifesaving by reducing the risk of suicidal ideation.

    Seth Dillon, CEO of the conservative satire website Babylon Bee, talked about “gender madness” when he addressed the crowd. Actor Rob Schneider, who had a prime-time speaking slot on Thursday night, claimed that children were getting “mutilated.” Texas state Rep. Shawn Thierry, who lost her primary this spring, announced that she was leaving the Democratic Party in part because of members’ views on transgender youth. Maud Maron, a former New York City community education council member who was removed from her post for sending anti-transgender text messages, claimed men were playing in women’s sports.

    “I think the federal government pushing child abuse really concerns American parents,” Justice said when asked why there was so much focus on trans issues at the summit.

    “Cutting off the healthy body parts of children is pretty extreme, right?” she said. “We’re cutting off the healthy body parts of girls.” She was referring to gender-affirming surgeries such as mastectomies, which are very rarely performed on minors.

    Moms for Liberty founder Tiffany Justice, shown here at a 2023 Republican event in Florida, said this week, “There’s no such thing as a transgender child.”

    Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

    At a panel on writing laws that protect parental rights, the session was laser-focused on transgender children. The speakers addressed the audience about how, through legislation, they can put a stop to “secret social transitions,” or schools transitioning children without telling their parents.

    “We’re getting calls from parents saying this is happening at our school,” claimed Matt Sharp, senior counselor at Alliance Defending Freedom, a right-wing legal group. (It is not uncommon for transgender children to be out at school but not at home if they don’t feel safe telling their parents.)

    And although many states have parental rights laws, which say parents have the fundamental right to raise their children the way they see fit, the panelists argued that most of them are too vague or don’t go far enough. “We need a legal remedy,” Sharp said.

    The panelists from Alliance Defending Freedom told attendees they should push their legislators to submit bills that would uphold parental rights and make it illegal for schools to affirm a child’s gender transition without parental consent — and that would allow parents whose rights were violated to sue schools and other government employees.

    Later, at a panel that was expressly about “secret social transitions,” two mothers talked about finding out that their children’s schools were letting them transition without notifying their parents. In both cases, however, their children actually told them that they were planning to transition.

    Tammy Fournier, a mother in Wisconsin, said that in May 2020 her daughter Autumn, who sat next to her on stage, told her parents that she believed she was transgender after confiding in a friend who then told a teacher’s aide. Fournier claims that the teacher’s aide told Autumn she could go to the office and change her pronouns, but the child declined and said she wanted to speak with her parents.

    Autumn didn’t return to that school. Fournier sued the school, saying it had violated her parental rights. In October 2023, a Wisconsin judge ruled that the school could not use a child’s preferred name or pronouns without parental consent.

    January Littlejohn, a Florida mom, had a similar story. She said her daughter wanted to transition after some of her friends did. The school held a meeting with the child, Littlejohn said, but refused to tell her the details of the meeting.

    Littlejohn had a warning to the parents in the room. “Parents of young children and grandparents, you need to be actively inoculating your children against this,” she said, claiming that “the faucet of gender ideology is free flowing” on social media.

    She also railed against allyship, claiming that children were being “indoctrinated” into being allies.

    “If you see buzzwords like ‘inclusivity’ and ‘safe and welcoming,’ that means gender ideology is alive and well in that school,” she warned.

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  • Is another far-right candidate running for Orange County School Board in 2024? Here’s what we know

    Is another far-right candidate running for Orange County School Board in 2024? Here’s what we know

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    Photo via Orlando Weekly

    Mailer from the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee warning voters against school board candidate Jeni Grieger.

    Orange County has four school board seats up for re-election in 2024, and there is one race in particular that is drawing concern from liberals over past comments, social media posts and affiliations that indicate one candidate’s support for right-wing policies.

    Jeni Grieger, a former teacher and political newcomer running for Orange County School Board District 6, has been accused by her opponents of being affiliated with Moms for Liberty, a far-right “parental rights” organization.

    Founded in Florida in 2021, Moms for Liberty has historically organized in favor of anti-LGBTQ policies in schools, including the removal of books from school libraries that they deem inappropriate (often, but not always containing LGBTQ+ themes) and anti-trans rules regarding bathroom and locker use. 

    Orange County already has one Moms for Liberty member on the school board: Alicia Farrant, a first-term school board member elected in 2022 to represent District 4. Farrant has argued in favor of restricting access to books she describes as “filth” and has spoken out against efforts by other board members to ensure schools are inclusive toward LGBTQ+ students, amid an onslaught of anti-transgender policies championed by Republican state officials.

    Grieger, when questioned by Orlando Weekly about her affiliation with Moms for Liberty, among other policy positions, declined an interview request via an email response through an unnamed spokesperson.

    In her response, Grieger denied accusations of her alleged affiliation with Moms for Liberty, despite supporting similar positions as the group on issues such as COVID-19 protocols in schools and the treatment of transgender students.

    “While my opponent has hobnobbed for months with politicians and political groups, I have remained focused on how I can support the students, faculty, staff, and ultimately the community of Orange County Public Schools by knocking on doors and meeting with community members and I have not joined a political group of any sorts and have not been endorsed by Moms For Liberty,” Grieger wrote in a statement.

    “This is a narrative being pushed out by my opposition because they represent the status quo and don’t want to talk about the crisis that’s happening in our schools,” she continued, in a response that is identical to one she shared with a dubious resident on Facebook. “I am not a member of moms for liberty and have not been endorsed by moms for liberty. I’m a mom for literacy,” Grieger wrote.

    A recent paid advertisement mailed to voters on behalf of the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee, obtained by Orlando Weekly, indicates otherwise.

    One recent mailer, for instance, describes Grieger — a registered Republican — as a “book banner” and places her alongside Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis standing behind a lectern with a Moms for Liberty sign.

    click to enlarge Mailer from the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee warning voters against school board candidate Jeni Grieger. - Photo via Orlando Weekly

    Photo via Orlando Weekly

    Mailer from the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee warning voters against school board candidate Jeni Grieger.

    click to enlarge Mailer from the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee warning voters against school board candidate Jeni Grieger. - Photo via Orlando Weekly

    Photo via Orlando Weekly

    Mailer from the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee warning voters against school board candidate Jeni Grieger.

    Grieger’s opponent Stephanie Vanos, a registered Democrat, has also described Grieger as a Moms for Liberty-aligned candidate. Grieger has not officially received the endorsement of the group, nor has DeSantis.

    Both Vanos and Grieger are running for an open seat on the school board currently occupied by Karen Castor Dentel, who will run for Orange County Supervisor of Elections this year.

    This leaves the seat in what is officially identified as a nonpartisan race up for grabs.

    Is Grieger as extremist as her opponents say?

    Grieger, a mother of three young boys, is a former public school teacher who taught various courses at Lake Mary High School in Seminole County, ranging from economics to American government, from 2002 to 2013, according to her LinkedIn profile.

    She’s a registered Republican running for a nonpartisan seat in a district that leans Democratic. According to county elections office data, her school board district had 58,425 registered Democrats, 36,112 registered Republicans, and 35, 452 voters registered as “No Party Affiliated” as of June.

    Grieger has largely kept politicized language off her social media campaign accounts and campaign website. The number one issue emphasized repeatedly by Grieger’s campaign is school literacy rates, which she argues are not up to par.

    “Our campaign has been focused on literacy since day one, and I am glad the literacy rate of OCPS has received so much attention from my supporters as well
    as my opponent and their supporters,” Grieger told Orlando Weekly.  “While OCPS teachers are allowed to use structured literacy training as part of their personal development points, it is not the standard OCPS uses, and we need to make that our top priority.”

    Grieger has specifically stressed a desire for the school district to use “science based literacy programs.” When asked by the Weekly for clarification on this term, Grieger described this as a form of reading that comes from “decades of research in fields including brain science that point to effective strategies for teaching kids to read.”

    “This science is incredibly crucial for our students who struggle with learning how to read,” she added, linking to an online phonics program titled We Can All Read.

    More controversial than her stated desire to boost student literacy, however, are her positions on social and so-called culture-war issues.

    In a candidate survey for the Christian-affiliated iVoterGuide, Grieger demonstrated support for several right-wing positions, including common anti-LGBTQ+ talking points.  iVoterGuide, a division of the conservative and Christian fundamentalist American Family Association (AFA) Action, describes itself as “the nation’s largest candidate research organization focused exclusively on information and mobilizing voters with biblical values.”

    In her questionnaire, Grieger for instance stated support for teaching abstinence in schools’ sex-ed, leaving resources for an unwanted pregnancy out of schools, and stated that she disagrees with supporting the concept of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

    In addition, she shared that she “strongly agree[s]” with forbidding “biological males” from participating in women’s sports or accessing other gender-specific spaces for women, including bathrooms and locker rooms — echoing the sentiment of other right-wing elected officials and Moms for Liberty.

    “Biological females deserve to feel safe while competing and while in a changing room, as do biological males,” Grieger told Orlando Weekly.  “Forcing biological females to
    share their private spaces with biological males is not fair.”

    Like the Moms for Liberty-affiliated school board member Alicia Farrant, Grieger seems to struggle on the issue of transgender rights, despite voicing acceptance of all students. On the social media platform X, Grieger’s campaign account recently wrote “Disgusting” in response to a post by Riley Gaines on U.S. House Democrats’ opposition to an attempt to block new Title IX regulations.

    click to enlarge Screenshot of a July 11, 2024 social media post by school board candidate Jeni Grieger in response to a post by an anti-transgender rights activist on Title IX regulations. - Image via X

    Image via X

    Screenshot of a July 11, 2024 social media post by school board candidate Jeni Grieger in response to a post by an anti-transgender rights activist on Title IX regulations.

    Such regulations, announced by the Biden-Harris Administration, aim to in part provide greater protections for LGBTQ+ students. Gaines, a former competitive swimmer, is known as an anti-transgender activist who has compared transgender identities to “spiritual warfare.”

    On same-sex marriages, Grieger shared agreement with the position that marriage is “a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman,” but explained that she also plans to “fight” for all students regardless.

    “As a school board member, I will respect and treat all families well. I will fight for all students to get a strong education whatever their family looks like. Some families are man and woman, and some families have same sex parents, single parents, no parents and are raised by family, friends, or guardians- no matter what, I will fight for the education!” her response reads.

    Grieger, who is friendly with Farrant, was also photographed at a recent Pine Hills community event alongside DeSantis-appointed state attorney Andrew Bain and local Republican Willie Montague. The trio also hosted a community town hall together in June.

    Alicia Farrant, in a Facebook post about the Pine Hills event, displaying the three, commented, “I love this!!! Powerhouse leaders right here!”

    Montague, a repeat candidate for elected office who is vying (again) for a U.S. Congress seat currently held by Orlando’s Maxwell Frost, has been known to associate with far-right blogger and Proud Boys associate Jacob Engels, and aligns himself with the Make America Great Again (MAGA) wing of the Republican Party.  According to a Facebook video, Engels and Montague participated in an anti-abortion counter-protest together back in 2022.

    On public health regulations, Grieger in her iVoteGuide candidate survey shared that she “strongly disagree[s]” with school districts mandating health precautions, including masks and vaccines, to “protect students and staff” in the event of a pandemic.

    Moms for Liberty, founded the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, built its base in part through mobilizing parents opposed to student mask mandates and quarantine policies implemented to protect students and staff from a deadly illness.

    Furthermore, Grieger has also received the backing of Brittney Jones, a local political activist and real estate agent affiliated with the anti-vax Florida Freedom Keepers group. Jones, who also serves as co-founder of the ‘America-First’ group Florida Christian Patriots, similarly backed Farrant during her 2022 campaign for the county school board.

    Grieger’s opponent Stephanie Vanos did not submit questionnaire responses to iVoterGuide, which nonetheless identified Vanos as a “liberal” candidate.

    Getting past the ‘culture wars’

     When reached for comment by Orlando Weekly Tuesday, local mom and public schools advocate Stephanie Vanos criticized her opponent’s positions on issues that align with far-right groups.

    “I have been an engaged member of this community for over twenty years and have spent the last fifteen months of my campaign talking with District 6 community members,” Vanos shared. “Her answers, supporters, and financial backers highlight her alignment with the Moms for Liberty agenda and do not reflect the values of our community.”

    Vanos, who is leading in fundraising efforts by by nearly three-to-one, has campaigned on creating a “safe, welcoming learning environment” for students. Her policy platform also advocates for eliminating “culture wars and political agendas” in classrooms, according to her campaign website, by focusing on issues students, staff, and parents “actually care about,” naming as examples improvements to district operations, access to quality academic counseling and workforce opportunities, and efficient use of public funds.

    Unlike Grieger, Vanos’ campaign boasts a full slate of local and state endorsements, including endorsements from the Florida Democratic Party, the Orange County teachers’ union, Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer, and organizations such as the Equality Florida PAC and the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association.

    Both Vanos and Grieger have expressed a desire to address issues such as teacher retention, safety in classrooms, and better compensation for teachers. According to national rankings by the National Education Association, Florida ranks near-dead last in the country for average teacher pay — an issue that teachers’ unions (like the NEA) say has played a key role in persuading some teachers to leave the profession or the state.

    School board elections in Florida are currently nonpartisan, meaning they’ll show up on the ballot of all voters in memes’ respective districts, regardless of political affiliation. Each member of the school board serves four-year terms.

    Florida’s Primary Election is scheduled for August 20, 2024, while the General Election date is scheduled for Nov. 5. You can find more information about voting dates or how to vote-by-mail on the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office website.

    Grieger’s full statement

    Grieger, the candidate accused by her opponents of being far-right, “respectfully” requested that we include her full statement to Orlando Weekly, in full context without editing. Here’s her full, lengthy statement:

    The term “science-based” reading refers to decades of research in fields including brain science that point to effective strategies for teaching kids to read. This science is incredibly crucial for our students who struggle with learning how to read. Kareem Weaver of the NAACP once stated, “Illiteracy is the pipeline to incarceration.” Please understand that when children can’t read, they become anxious and insecure and behavior issues soon follow. As the only teacher running for OCPS School Board District 6, I am passionate about this subject because I have first hand experience in this area, and what works. I’d be happy to discuss this subject further, or if you’d like to research for yourself, here is a good place to start.

    Everything I do for kids comes from love and care for all of them. ALL students, should have the greatest protections and be kept safe at all times and in all environments. As the only teacher in this race, I have the experience to create a safe and positive learning environment for ALL students. As the daughter of a police officer who spent countless hours off duty serving the most vulnerable parts of our community, I grew up with a servants heart that wants every single member of our amazing community to be successful.

    Biological females deserve to feel safe while competing and while in a changing room, as do biological males. Forcing biological females to share their private spaces with biological males is not fair. Can we work together to find a meaningful solution and create safe spaces for all , while not taking away from other spaces ? I believe we can lovingly engage together, and find a place to make all these students feel seen and safe . Payton McNabb suffers long term physical and mental illness from a volleyball match where a biological male who identifies as transgender injured her. There are many biological women who have been injured by biological males in sports, so I propose we work with the transgender community for a solution where everyone can be safe.

    Our campaign has been focused on literacy since day one, and I am glad the literacy rate of OCPS has received so much attention from my supporters as well as my opponent and their supporters. I’m thankful that all the information I have been putting out there has grabbed the attention of so many. While OCPS teachers are allowed to use structured literacy training as part of their personal development points, it is not the standard OCPS uses, and we need to make that our top priority.

    While my opponent has hobnobbed for months with politicians and political
    groups, I have remained focused on how I can support the students, faculty, staff,
    and ultimately the community of Orange County Public Schools by knocking on doors and meeting with community members and I have not joined a political group of any sorts and have not been endorsed by Moms For Liberty. This is a narrative being pushed out by my opposition because they represent the status quo and don’t want to talk about the crisis that’s happening in our schools. The fact is, a majority of our students cannot read and we have struggling schools in District 6. Just look at College Park Middle School and Lake Silver Elementary and how many families feel compelled to flee those schools. I will work to fix that. I am not a member of moms for liberty and have not been endorsed by moms for liberty. I’m a mom for literacy.

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    McKenna Schueler

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  • Florida Senate declines to confirm Moms for Liberty co-founder to state ethics panel

    Florida Senate declines to confirm Moms for Liberty co-founder to state ethics panel

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    Photo via Tina Descovich/Twitter

    The Florida Senate declined to confirm Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich’s appointment to the state Commission on Ethics, with Senate President Kathleen Passidomo saying that the procedural move puts Descovich’s confirmation “on hold.”

    Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Descovich to the Florida ethics commission last year, a position which requires Senate confirmation.

    The Senate allows two years for the confirmation process to be completed. A Republican-controlled Senate committee last month forwarded Descovich’s potential confirmation to the full chamber.

    But on Thursday, Descovich was not part of a slate of appointees to the ethics panel. Descovich, a former Brevard County School Board member, became a prominent figure as the conservative group Moms for Liberty has targeted what it characterizes as indoctrination in public schools.

    Descovich also is the chair of the political committee Moms for Liberty Florida, according to the state Division of Elections’ website. Senate leaders voiced concerns that Descovich’s political role could pose a conflict with her role on the ethics panel.

    “There is a concern that Ms. Descovich’s employment could constitute lobbying the Legislature. That issue requires additional review prior to Senate confirmation,” a spokeswoman for Passidomo told the News Service of Florida in an email Thursday.

    Speaking to reporters after the Senate confirmed a swath of appointees that did not include Descovich, Passidomo said Thursday the procedural move would give time for a review of the concerns.

    “When we looked at it, we realized it’s a two-year process. The governor can reappoint her. So we didn’t feel pressure to do anything,” Passidomo, R-Naples, said.

    The Senate president also said that Descovich’s failure to make it onto the appointment-approval list was not related to an ethics complaint against her.

    “Some citizen said he was going to file a (ethics) complaint and politicized our process. And that troubles me because that’s not what we do,” Passidomo said. “So, (we) put it on hold, and if the governor reappoints her, then she’ll come back. It will give us an opportunity to go through the whole process.”

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    News Service of Florida

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  • Moms for Liberty co-founder backed for Florida ethics panel, despite heavy opposition

    Moms for Liberty co-founder backed for Florida ethics panel, despite heavy opposition

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    Photo via Tina Descovich/Twitter

    A co-founder of the conservative group Moms for Liberty moved a step closer Monday to being confirmed as a member of the state Commission on Ethics amid heavy opposition from Democrats.

    The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee backed confirmation of Tina Descovich, with all three of the panel’s Democrats dissenting. Descovich, who was tapped for the ethics commission last year, needs confirmation from the full Senate.

    A former Brevard County School Board member, Descovich has become a prominent figure as Moms for Liberty targets what it characterizes as indoctrination in public schools and inappropriate content in school-library books.

    Democrats peppered Descovich with questions Monday, including about her work with Moms for Liberty and connections to high-ranking government officials.

    Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, asked Descovich about potential conflicts of interest.

    “Since Moms for Liberty actively works to support and endorse candidates for office, and the Commission on Ethics is responsible for overseeing the standards of conduct for officers and employees of Florida, do you feel your role both advocating for and monitoring elected officials is a conflict of interest?” Polsky asked.

    Descovich denied that a conflict would exist.

    “I do not feel like it’s a conflict of interest. We are structured in a way that our chapters individually, they’re the ones that do the endorsing, in their local community, of school board candidates only. My position as executive director and co-founder of Moms for Liberty, does not get involved, does not approve or deny their endorsements,” Descovich said.

    Under questioning from Polsky, Descovich also confirmed that she attended a meeting last year with DeSantis and state Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. that dealt with the governor backing school-board candidates.

    Descovich said officials were “seeking some of our counsel from Moms for Liberty as a whole and what we were looking for in candidates,” but denied that she played a factor in the governor’s choices.

    DeSantis in recent years has endorsed numerous conservative school-board candidates, many of whom have gone on to win elections. Sen. Debbie Mayfield, an Indialantic Republican whose district includes part of Brevard County, defended Descovich.

    “If there’s anyone that can serve in both capacities and do it well, and separate the two out at the same time, it’s Tina,” Mayfield said.

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    News Service of Florida

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  • Moms For Liberty Co-Founder Won’t Resign From School Board Over Husband’s Rape Allegations

    Moms For Liberty Co-Founder Won’t Resign From School Board Over Husband’s Rape Allegations

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    Bridget Ziegler’s husband, Florida GOP chair Christian Ziegler, is under investigation for an alleged rape.

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  • Ripping the Headlines Today – Paul Lander, Humor Times

    Ripping the Headlines Today – Paul Lander, Humor Times

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    Making fun of the headlines today, so you don’t have to

    The news, even that about Southwest Airlines, doesn’t need to be complicated or confusing; that’s what any new release from Microsoft is for. And, as in the case with anything from Microsoft, to keep the news from worrying our pretty little heads over, remember something new and equally indecipherable will come out soon: 

    Really all you need to do is follow one simple rule: barely pay attention and jump to conclusions. So, here are some headlines today and my first thoughts:

    Southwest Airlines
    A Southwest Airlines passenger climbed onto a wing.

    Southwest Airlines passenger hospitalized after opening emergency exit and climbing onto wing, officials say

    … Some people will do anything for extra leg room.

    Moms for Liberty founder and her husband in 3-way and now battery is alleged

    Oh, I’m guessing all kinds of batteries were involved.

    Man who stripped naked on Disneyland ride was on drugs, police say

    Ironically, he slipped himself a Mickey.

    Century-overdue library book is finally returned in Minnesota

    … No word if it was found with Joe Biden’s boxed papers.

    Jared Leto becomes the first person to legally climb to the top of the Empire State Building

    The last time he was that high, he agreed to do ‘Morbius.’

    George Santos was expelled from Congress

    … Saying that’s nothing compared to time he was suspended from baseball for using PEDs.

    Darryl Hall broke up with John Oates

    … look for a new group: John Oates and Pete Davidson!

    Cyber Monday biggest on-line shopping event ever

    And, now that Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday are done, let’s make way for ‘Burglary Tuesday.’

    Henry Kissinger dies at 100

    It probably was the vaccine.

    Huge crack opens up in Iceland, steam pouring forth

    … So, just another vacation for Chris Christie.

    ‘Oppenheimer’ bests ‘Barbie’ in weekend premiere VOD viewership

    … That would explain the giant pink mushroom cloud where Barbie’s dream house used to be.

    Aaron Rodgers talks Jets return this season

    And says he’ll stomp his leg once if yes, twice if no.Will Smith’s team responds to accusations that the actor bottoms

    Will Smith’s team responds to accusations that the actor bottoms

    Damn, a ‘race to the bottom’ is now a description of people rushing to Will Smith’s house!

    The Las Vegas Sphere is already losing a 100 million dollars

    … Look for Elon to pay billions for it …

    Paul LanderPaul Lander
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  • This Florida GOP Throuple Scandal Is INSANE!!! – Perez Hilton

    This Florida GOP Throuple Scandal Is INSANE!!! – Perez Hilton

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    [Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

    Man, we’ve seen some politician sex scandals over the years, but this one is WILD!

    Christian Ziegler is the chairman of the Florida Republican Party. As the GOP chair in a state run by Republicans, he’s a powerful guy in the MAGA movement. And his wife is even more influential with conservatives on a national level. See, Bridget Ziegler is the co-founder of Moms for Liberty. They’re the group that have been trying to ban books at school libraries across the country — you know, pretty much anything to do with African American history or positive depictions of gay folks. Really gross, fascist s**t.

    So according to a wild new report from a local paper called the Florida Trident, these two family values leaders have, for the past three years, been part of… a throuple. Yep, a woman has come forward to the police saying she was in a consensual three-way sexual relationship with the Zieglers. That of course is in no way a crime — we’ll get to the criminal accusations in a moment.

    Related: Ivanka Trump Skipped Thanksgiving With Donald & Watched A Movie Instead?!

    As always with this kind of scandal, we must say, we aren’t about shaming consenting adults for their lifestyles. If a married couple decide they want to spice things up and invite a third into their lives, who are we to judge? But these are people who are FIRMLY and VOCALLY anti-LGBT. Hell, Bridget is credited with being instrumental in creating Governor Ron DeSantis‘ infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill! And the last we checked, a throuple — even a MFF one — ain’t exactly that whole Bible-thumping idea of straightitude. It’s not Adam and Eve and Bianca, you what we mean? That makes the Zieglers a pretty foul sort of hypocrites, if true. They’re trying to make it harder and harder for LGBT kids, meanwhile they secretly get to do whatever they want in the bedroom? Get bent.

    Anti-LGBT MAGA stars Christian and Bridget Ziegler. / (c) Bridget Ziegler/X

    The thing is, we haven’t even gotten to the real scandal…

    The reason this woman has come forward is because she’s accusing the ironically named Christian of rape! In a police report obtained by the Trident, the woman claims that while she and Christian were alone at her home on October 2 — with no Bridget — he committed sexual battery against her.

    Details are scant in the heavily redacted report, which was filed way back on October 4, but it’s explicitly a “sexual assault complaint.” The woman also claims Christian filmed the three-way sexual encounters with her and his wife, and the sources told the outlet that a search warrant was executed on the politician’s phone.

    No charges have been filed yet, and the Zieglers have not commented publicly. However, Christian’s attorney Derek Byrd confirmed the investigation in a statement. He assures his client has been “fully cooperative with the Sarasota Police Department” and will be “completely exonerated.” He goes on to imply the alleged victim is doing this for money or maybe even politics:

    “Unfortunately, public figures are often accused of acts that they did not commit whether it be for political purposes or financial gain. I would caution anyone to rush to judgment until the investigation is concluded. Out of respect for the investigation, this is all Mr. Ziegler or myself can say at this time.”

    We’ll have to see how this plays out, but now that the accusation is public, we’re guessing it’s going to be a lot harder to keep the Zieglers’ real “family values” out of the spotlight.

    If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources. 

    [Image via Christian Ziegler/Bridget Ziegler/Facebook.]

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    Perez Hilton

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  • Moms for Liberty Organizer Who Banned Anne Frank Graphic Novel Refuses To Apologize for Antisemitism

    Moms for Liberty Organizer Who Banned Anne Frank Graphic Novel Refuses To Apologize for Antisemitism

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    Far-right extremist group Moms for Liberty has made a name for itself with organized attacks on sex education and LGBTQ-affirming curricula in public schools. But now they seem to be venturing into a new territory of hate and discrimination. Lead organizers with Moms for Liberty have tried to ban Scholastic book fairs, appeared on antisemitic talk shows, and quoted Hitler in their newsletter. It’s no surprise the group has earned a reputation as an extremist organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center and has been placed on their Hate Watch. 

    Jennifer Pippin, the chair of a Florida chapter of Moms for Liberty, succeeded in getting Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation banned from the public high school’s library. Apparently, this decision was reached with the support of the District Objection Committee which Pippen helped form. Nationwide, Moms for Liberty has gained a reputation for book banning and threatening librarians. Though they claim no connection to Moms for Liberty, the site BookLooks.org provides fodder for the organization’s mission of excluding numerous books from library circulation. Noticeably absent from the “who we are” section of the website are the actual names of the people behind these book critiques. They are not librarians, educators, or scholars, just “concerned parents” devoting time to producing pages and pages of “content warnings” on new books and classics alike. 

    The graphic novel version of Anne Frank’s diary has caused controversy across the country for its “explicit” moments. A middle school teacher in Texas was fired for assigning the book to her eighth grde class. Pippins successfully lobbied to have the book banned for being sexually explicit and inappropriate. Her charges hinged on three moments in the story, one in which Anne Frank expresses a desire to kiss her female friend, another where she suggests she and a friend show one another their breasts, and one in which she notices the beauty of the nude female body. 

    Some educators have pushed back on the categorization of any of these scenes as sexually explicit. Instead of viewing the 13-year-old hiding out from the Nazis with her family as somehow being titillated by deviant ideas, others have pointed out that these passages present Anne as a relatable teen noticing her developing body and sexuality.

    As disturbing as it is, the Anne Frank book banning is another act that speaks to an antisemitic culture within Moms of Liberty. The same woman who had Anne Frank’s diary banned from the library also appeared on TruNews, an antisemitic livestream. TruNews host Rick Wiles uses his platform to advance racist, antisemitic, and anti science narratives. Pippin, the book banner, has since refused to apologize for speaking on his show. The group did, however, apologize for quoting Hitler in their newsletter. These actions reveal a dangerous trend of aligning not just with the far right but also with Nazism. 

    According to the American Library Association (ALA), book bans are on the rise in the U.S. There has been a 20% increase since last year. Texas and Florida have the most banned books in the nation, with 438 and 357 banned books respectively. As scholars note, the term “book banning” fails to capture what happens when a book is challenged. It may be redacted (removing words or images), relocated to another section of the library, restricted with parental permission required for reading, or finally, removed from circulation.

    Ironically, book banning is addressed in Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation. As Anne describes a Germany that is becoming increasingly more hostile and frightening, she references the Nazis burning books written by Jews and books that celebrate Jewish culture.

    After Nazis discovered her family in hiding, Anne Frank and her older sister Margot where transported to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where they died. Anne’s father, Otto, survived the war. He discovered his daughter’s diary and decided to publish it to share their family’s experience with history and the world.

    (featured image: Pantheon)

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  • Moms For Liberty’s School Board Takeover Attempts Fizzled Out On Election Day

    Moms For Liberty’s School Board Takeover Attempts Fizzled Out On Election Day

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    This article is part of HuffPost’s biweekly politics newsletter. Click here to subscribe.

    Moms for Liberty, the right-wing extremist group that aims to bring a conservative agenda to public education, set out to take over school boards across the country in Tuesday’s elections. But instead of installing like-minded candidates in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Iowa school districts, its attempt fell flat.

    The group burst onto the national scene in 2020, early in the coronavirus pandemic, when conservative parents were railing against masking in schools. Less concerned with traditional public school issues like teacher retention and funding, Moms for Liberty champions anti-LGBTQ policies like banning transgender students from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identities and removing books with racial justice or LGBTQ themes from school libraries. Over the past few years, group members have sought to gain influence in school board races across the country in an effort to transform U.S. public schools into right-wing evangelical utopias.

    But while Moms for Liberty candidates in smaller and more rural districts were able to notch victories on Tuesday, they floundered in the suburbs.

    The group’s results in Ohio were dismal. In Hamilton County, home to Cincinnati and more than 800,000 people, only two of eight Moms for Liberty candidates succeeded. Likewise, in Franklin County, where Columbus is located, only two of the group’s eight endorsed candidates won.

    And in Stark County, which voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, the group fared even worse. Only one of its nine endorsed candidates won.

    Next door in the swing state of Pennsylvania, Moms for Liberty endorsed dozens of candidates in school board races. Some candidates in smaller and more rural districts were able to succeed. But the bigger picture showed more liberal or Democrat-backed candidates sweeping their races. In Bucks County, outside of Philadelphia, MFL and other right-wing groups had been seeking to get conservative candidates on the board in the Central Bucks and Pennridge school districts. Instead, Democratic candidates swept both races.

    Even in the traditionally red Iowa, MFL had a poor showing. The group endorsed 13 candidates across four counties, but only one candidate won in a very small, rural district.

    It’s a bad sign for Moms for Liberty’s hopes of taking its message nationwide in 2024. This year’s elections were widely viewed as a harbinger of what the nation can expect in 2024, which will almost certainly include a Donald Trump-versus-Joe Biden rematch for the presidency. And things have changed dramatically since the last time the once-and-maybe-future presidents went head to head in 2020: The Supreme Court has revoked federal abortion protections, a right-wing anti-LGBTQ+ agenda is on the rise, and teaching anything about race and racism in school has become a political issue.

    But Moms for Liberty’s poor performance in the polls may be a sign that the so-called conservative “war on woke” just isn’t a battle voters are interested in.

    Just look at how the group fared in Loudoun County, Virginia, where MFL focused on a purple county that has become a national symbol of how the culture wars are infecting public education. The county’s schools have been mired in controversy since 2021 when a student allegedly committed sexual assault at two different high schools.

    After conservatives falsely claimed that the alleged perpetrator was transgender, right-wing rhetoric began permeating the school district, leading to contentious school board meetings that were covered by right-wing news outlets — and giving the Virginia county national exposure.

    In Tuesday’s school board election, all nine seats were up for grabs, and Moms for Liberty endorsed four candidates — but only one prevailed. Ultimately, liberals won a 6-3 majority on the county school board.

    Moms for Liberty has gotten support from top Republicans like Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who ran on a successful campaign on “parental rights” in 2021, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been echoing right-wing culture war rhetoric in his ongoing bid for the White House.

    Parental rights — which have generally manifested as the right to prevent children from learning or reading about sexuality or race in any capacity, at any age — seem to be the issue MFL believes will lead its candidates to success.

    And while Youngkin and DeSantis have used this definition of parental rights to their political advantage, the actual policies groups like Moms for Liberty champion appear to be politically unpopular. While MFL targets teachers for being “woke” or smears them as “groomers,” polling shows that parents are satisfied with their children’s schools. And while MFL has championed book bans and increasing restrictions on what teachers can say in the classroom, most parents oppose such policies.

    Attacking transgender students has been the core fixation of many MFL-backed candidates. Yet while Americans may be divided on gender-affirming care for trans youth and transgender athletes participating on sports teams that reflect their gender identities, most voters oppose political attacks on transgender people, according to polls.

    After a lackluster showing from culture war candidates in 2022 and again last night, it’s becoming clear that casting public school teachers as the bad guys and Moms for Liberty as students’ only hope just isn’t the winning strategy that MFL and other conservatives want it to be.

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  • Video Shows Right-Wing Activists Demanding Police Probe Over Novel Found In Schools

    Video Shows Right-Wing Activists Demanding Police Probe Over Novel Found In Schools

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    Activists with the right-wing group Moms for Liberty in northwest Florida were filmed demanding that sheriff’s deputies investigate the circulation of a high school library book that one of them called “child pornography” and “a serious crime.”

    “I’ve got some evidence a crime was committed,” Moms for Liberty member Jennifer Tapley is filmed telling a Santa Rosa County deputy in body camera footage taken on Oct. 25 and recently obtained by the Substack newsletter Popular Information.

    The video shows Tapley, who is running for a seat on the local school board, present the young adult novel “Storm and Fury” to a deputy, along with information on specific community members she says actively oppose her group, Moms for Liberty.

    “The governor says this is child pornography. It’s a serious crime,” she says of the book, referring to the fact that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has passed a series of state laws that censor certain topics and material in schools. “It’s just as serious if I handed a Playboy to [my child]. It’s just as serious, according to the law.”

    Tapley cites a state law that prohibits adults from distributing “harmful materials” to minors, including obscene and pornographic materials.

    A man with her, identified by Popular Information as a fellow Moms for Liberty activist, also complains about the book’s content being unlawful.

    “A crime is being committed. It’s a 3rd-degree felony. And we’ve got the evidence,” he can be heard saying.

    “Storm and Fury,” part of a bestselling fantasy series, features a few passages with sexual themes, including an incident in which the main character almost has sex, according to Popular Information.

    Tapley argues in the video that the book shouldn’t be in circulation at the high school because, under state law, books that are challenged as inappropriate for children in the school district must be “quarantined” and reviewed by a media specialist.

    “This one was supposed to be removed. It was not removed. In addition to that, a librarian checked it out to a 17-year-old student,” Tapley says.

    “Storm and Fury” is not on a list of books that have been challenged in Santa Rosa County, however. Tapley shares the list of these books on her campaign website. Another list is available on the school district’s website.

    District representative Dr. Tonya Shepherd confirmed to HuffPost on Wednesday that the book was never formally challenged. However, it was removed from circulation a day after Tapley complained to the sheriff’s department, which notified the district, Shepherd said.

    One copy of the book is listed as “checked out” online, but it’s in the care of a media specialist who is reviewing it, according to Shepherd.

    A deputy in the bodycam footage can later be heard calling Tapley’s complaint a school district matter and not one for law enforcement. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department confirmed to HuffPost on Wednesday that it is not investigating the complaints.

    Moms for Liberty bills itself as a grassroots movement seeking to restore “parental rights” in government. Its efforts include censoring books in public schools that the group deems inappropriate for younger readers. Moms for Liberty was recently deemed an “anti-government extremist group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

    Tapley did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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  • This Extremist Group Calls Itself A ‘Parental Rights’ Org. Now It’s Targeting School Boards In 1 Key State.

    This Extremist Group Calls Itself A ‘Parental Rights’ Org. Now It’s Targeting School Boards In 1 Key State.

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    Moms for Liberty has, in recent years, been a major player in America’s culture wars. The group has been behind the drastic increase in book ban attempts across the country, influenced local leaders to implement anti-LGBTQ+ policies, and railed against educators and others in communities, smearing them as child abusers. In 2023, Moms for Liberty held its annual convention in Pennsylvania, sparking widespread protests.

    Now it has set its sights on the state’s many school boards.

    There are 500 different districts spread over Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, and ahead of next week’s elections in the state, HuffPost found that Moms for Liberty has endorsed more than 50 candidates in 28 districts.

    Rising to prominence in 2021, Moms for Liberty bills itself as a grassroots movement seeking to restore “parental rights” in government, and most notably the nation’s public school system. But it has since become a prominent fixture in Republican politics and been deemed an extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

    Ariel Franchak, a public school teacher who founded the Pennsylvania chapter of the opposition group Stop Moms for Liberty on Facebook, felt she had no choice but to get involved in school politics once she saw Moms for Liberty’s agenda.

    “I didn’t start getting into this until they started messing with the books, and trying to discriminate against the LGBTQ community and whitewashing history,” she told HuffPost. “They want to destroy everything good about schools.”

    Moms for Liberty did not respond to a request for comment from HuffPost.

    In at least three school districts, Moms for Liberty is attempting to take over entire school boards.

    In the Owen J. Roberts School District in Chester County — approximately an hour’s drive from Philadelphia — the full slate of GOP candidates has been endorsed by Moms for Liberty. The board is currently made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans, with one Republican declining to run for reelection.

    Jennifer Munson, a Democrat who is up for reelection to the board, said the school district would not fare well with a majority-Republican board. She said Kathy DiMarino, a GOP incumbent running for reelection, has already provided a glimpse into what a Moms for Liberty-backed board would look like.

    “During COVID, she started bringing in data about COVID that was extremely biased, like saying masking was actually unhealthy,” Munson told HuffPost. “We can’t have four more like her.”

    On the GOP slate’s website, the group proudly displays its MFL endorsement — along with a chart outlining the critical differences between itself and Democratic candidates, saying it aims to lower school taxes, have masking be optional for students, and ban transgender children from using the bathroom or playing with the athletic team that matches their gender identity. It’s a long list of culture warriors’ favorite moral panic talking points.

    “These are not the concerns of our community,” Munson said. The group of Democrats running for the school board has pledged to implement student-centered policies and focus on quality education rather than culture wars.

    “We want to run a school district,” Munson said, contrasting the Democratic candidates with their Republican counterparts. “It appears to us that they’re not really interested in running a school district.”

    York County’s South Western School District, like countless others, has been embroiled in conservative faux outrage since the COVID-19 pandemic began. In 2021, a school board meeting was canceled after dozens of attendees refused to wear face masks, which was required at the time.

    A website for the county’s MFL-endorsed candidates is typical of right-wing hopefuls. The slate pledges to “Remove Political Agendas” like critical race theory from schools and “refocus on Traditional Education.” It’s unclear what that would mean.

    Some of those running are also open about their religious beliefs. “I will treat every person with love and respect, but I will not go against my morals as taught from a biblical foundation,” candidate Justin Lighty said on the website. “I will stand up and protect my children and yours from a woke virus that is infecting our great country.”

    In school districts close to heavily Democratic cities, some candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty are more subdued on social media and elsewhere online. In the Moon Area School District, which is just outside of Pittsburgh proper but leans Republican, MFL has endorsed the entire slate of Republican candidates. Yet a Facebook campaign page appears to focus on run-of-the-mill messages imploring people to vote for the five GOP hopefuls.

    Even in areas where MFL isn’t attempting to fully take over school boards, HuffPost found 25 additional districts in which the group has endorsed one or more candidates — who are running explicitly right-wing campaigns that, if successful, would surely make waves.

    In the Deer Lakes School District, located just 15 miles from Pittsburgh, Moms for Liberty has endorsed Leonard Verdetto III. The 29-year-old college graduate said in a questionnaire from the Pennsylvania Family Council, a right-wing organization that endorses local candidates, that he’s running for school board because “we are becoming a failed society.” He also invoked his religious beliefs in the pitch.

    “Old traditional values and family being the backbone in our nation is being perverted, and it’s not being practiced as it should be,” he said. “Having good traditional education … will help the next generation to be successful, and ready for a stronger future. A stronger future with Jesus is the real solution that can save the children, and to the future of our nation.”

    Then there is Kelly Potteiger, the vice chair of MFL’s Cumberland County chapter who is running for the board in Cumberland Valley School District — even though her children don’t attend public schools there. She said that her children attended CVSD for kindergarten but are now enrolled at a private Christian school.

    “They would like to come back to CVSD, however, there will have to be some changes before my husband and I feel like this would be the best option,” she wrote on her campaign website. “In order to help make those changes, I decided to run for school board.”

    In Bucks County, near Philadelphia, Moms for Liberty has endorsed two candidates across two separate school districts. But some people there already know what happens when MFL takes over a district.

    “Our students have lost a lot of their rights,” Jane Cramer, a Pennridge School District parent, told local news site The Keystone in June. “It’s been a slow process, but the past few months, it’s really escalated.”

    In August, the Pennridge school board voted to adopt a new curriculum from Vermilion Education, a controversial right-wing group that has been accused of promoting conservative Christian values.

    A slate of candidates, together known as Protect Pennridge, has voiced support for anti-LGBTQ+ policies that the school district now has in place. Its candidates haven’t been endorsed by MFL, but that may not matter since Protect Pennridge has essentially same talking points, just like various other groups that have sprung up across Pennsylvania.

    “They have the same views, but a different name,” Franchak said about a right-wing group in her own school district.

    It’s clear that Moms for Liberty is trying to replicate its past successes. According to its own tally, MFL endorsed more than 500 candidates in 2022, and more than half won their elections. It also took credit for flipping 17 school boards across the country.

    For educators and parents who oppose MFL, there’s only one way to stop its encroachment in Pennsylvania schools.

    “We need more advocates and allies, and we need more people to speak up,” Franchak said. “We can’t be bullied into going along with whatever a small minority wants.”

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