Stephanie Yates got choked up staring out at the cheering crowd of over 500 sign-holding moms and dads who traveled from all over the state to stand with her on the steps of the state capitol. Regaining her composure, Stephanie got real with the crowd and admitted she used to be so shy and fearful she could hardly introduce herself.
Explaining her transformation last Thursday, Stephanie gave credit to her creator. “God will give you the courage for what you need to do to protect your children,” she said. And after seeing the graphic, immoral sex and gender identity lessons the public schools were teaching children, she decided, “I don’t care if they think I’m crazy. I don’t care if they get mad, and I lose friends and I lose family over this, because it is about our kids.”
And so Stephanie started to take action “one step at a time.” A little less than a year ago she created a Facebook group at her husband’s suggestion. As more and more parents joined, and as sex education lessons and school board meeting videos were posted for parents to see, the Facebook group started growing, eventually doubling, then tripling in size. Now after holding two rallies at the state capitol and a sex education sit-out with over 40 participating school districts, the Informed Parents of California Facebook group has grown to almost 15,000 members.
Despite all their efforts, California’s education bureaucracy and its elected leaders are, in large part, still ignoring them. Informed Parents of California co-founder Aileen Blachowski admitted this at the rally, but that doesn’t mean they intend to quiet down.
“Department of Education, hear this loud and clear,” Aileen declared to the crowd. “The parents of California will not submit their children to indoctrination. … If you will not listen to us. … We will pull our kids from your schools.”
Over the next few months Informed Parents of California plan to implement “Operation Suspend Re-Enrollment.” Parents will be encouraged to send letters telling school district officials not to expect their children for next school year if they will not listen and act on parent curriculum concerns.
One group of political leaders who have shown their support to these parents is the California Senate Republicans. The Senate Republican communication team video taped the entire rally, interviewed speakers afterwards, and put together promotional videos of the two senators who spoke at the rally, Senate Republican Caucus Chair Brian Jones (District 38 – Santee), and Mike Morrell (District 23 – Rancho Cucamonga).
“I don’t want the government to dictate to my wife and I how we raise our kids, ” Jones said. Of all the things I am, “I’m the husband of a fired up mama. If you mess with my wife’s kids, you’ve got a battle on your hands.”…
“The State Board of Education is attacking our liberty with these disgusting, unintellectual proposals. The parent child relationship is sacred. … Parents and guardians know what is best for their children.”
Senator Brian Jones (R) Santee, CA
Senator Morrell also spoke, telling parents to look to the example of Winston Churchill for inspiration. “Never, never, never, never–in nothing great or small, large or petty–never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense,” Morrell said, quoting Churchill. “As California goes, so goes the nation. … California is the battle ground for the soul of the United States of America. “
Morrell also promoted a bill he authored that amends the California Healthy Youth Act, the state’s comprehensive sex education law. SB 673 would require any sex education lessons for elementary school kids must be put online for parents to see. It also requires elementary kids to get a signature from parents to participate. Currently, the law only requires school to provide an opt-out for sex education lessons, something a parent must initiate.
The Informed Parents of California rally featured a number of other passionate speakers from various walks of life. Read some excerpts of their speeches below.
“What has bothered me the most about this struggle is how good honest, hard working, tax paying parents have been painted as somehow hateful; as somehow on the fringe. We just want a seat at the table. All we ask is for transparency. … “
“I understand there are many different points of view on many different issues, but there are some things that belong in the home, and there are some things that belong in school. And a conversation about sex and sexuality, beyond the biology of it, belongs in the home.”…
“I’m not going to lie. This is a heavy battle ahead of us… We are fighting an intrenched bureaucracy. This is David verse Goliath, but got a pocket full of stones and just enough gall to believe we can do this.”
Kira Davis, political commentator, writer, and activist
“California, we have fallen so far from what education is supposed to be. Our kids are not getting a correct education. They are getting an agenda indoctrination.” …
“I want to challenge you today, especially Hispanic parents. If you think you are involved, get even more involved.” We are responsible to tell others what we know because, “our eyes have been opened.” …
“Our children are ours. God gave them to us. They don’t belong to the government.” …
“Don’t think you are going to mess with my kids and get away with it.”
America Figueroa, Publisher of La Prensa Hispana
This is what they are teaching kids like me. “You can be whatever you want; a boy, a girl, both, or something else, or even nothing, or someone with no gender at all. I’m a boy. Why do schools need to question my identity.”…
“I know I’m created and I know God thought of me and chose me before I was born. My mom prayed so she could have me. She asked for a boy and I was born.”
Samuel Figueroa, 10-year-old 5th grader
“Millions of children in California are depending on us to fight for them.”…
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Silence in the face of evil is evil itself. Not to speak is to speak. And not to act is to act.” …
“So when you find yourselves discouraged with a broken heart for our children and their future, seize the opportunity to act with courage.”…
“Remember our opposition is relentless, but God is sovereign. ”
Marlo Tucker, California State Director of Concerned Women of America
There are people at this rally who grew up under communism. “We are here to tell you that we see where this is heading.” …
“In order for a government to pass this kind of philosophy on sexuality, it rests on the foundation of meaninglessness.” …
Kids are being told to have meaningless sex, “but they aren’t told the consequences of those decisions… . That’s why we start getting reports, and statistics and statistics upon statistics that children are talking more about suicide than any generation past.”…
“It’s up to a parental revolution to make change happen.”
Gheorghe Rosca, Romanian immigrant and Pastor of the NEW HOPE Christian Ministries
“I am talking on behalf of all teachers. We have been waiting for you.”
“You are the power. We are the tool. You need to support us to back down those principals, back down those superintendents, those presidents and member of the school boards.”…
In my school district the LGBT activists “celebrated that they took away father-daughter night… . What a crime?”…
“If you think your teachers are free, they are not. They are scared. They are wondering how in the world they can face you and not loose their jobs.” …
“We need you and we need you to be fearless.”…
“Thank God you are here.”
Lisa Disbrow, California Public School Teacher
“I couldn’t even actually read sections of the health framework on the Hugh Hewitt Show because he would probably get an FCC fine. If it isn’t good enough for the airwaves, it is not good enough for our kids.”
“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” Children belong to God. They are made in His image.
“It is immoral to for the state to ask us to render unto the state things that belong to God.”
Jonathan Keller, President of the California Family Council
After the rally concluded, parents walked several blocks down the street to testify in before the California Department of Education’s Instructional Quality Commission (IQC). This appointed board was holding a hearing on a revised version of the K-12 Health Curriculum Framework, a 1000 page document to guide health curriculum over the next decade. Over 200 parents lined up to give testimony against the new plans, because of the inappropriate sexual context and gender identity ideology contained in the lessons. Read here and here for more details.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the IQC board decided unanimously to approve their changes to the Health Curriculum Framework, despite parent complaints. The final decision on the framework will be made at a hearing before the State Board of Education in May.
