Parents in the Vista Unified School District (VUSD) are taking a stand against what they call a blatant disregard for their rights and the religious freedoms of their children. The National Center for Law & Policy (NCLP), led by attorney Dean Broyles, has submitted a formal legal demand to VUSD, challenging its covert promotion of controversial sexuality ideologies and its failure to inform parents about gender identity instruction in classrooms.
Forced Role-Playing and Indoctrination in Schools
At the center of the controversy is an incident at Rancho Buena Vista High School (RBVHS), where students in a Freshman Seminar class were reportedly required to role-play as LGBTQ+ individuals in a “coming out” exercise. The activity, drawn from the Trevor Project’s “Coming Out Stars,” compelled students to pretend to reveal their sexual orientation to family and friends. Several students walked out of the classroom in protest, with some citing religious objections.
Additionally, it was revealed that RBVHS has been using the “Gender Unicorn” as a teaching tool in its AVID class. The Gender Unicorn promotes a radical redefinition of biological sex and gender, undermining what many parents view as a scientifically and biblically grounded understanding of human identity.
James Murphy, a concerned father whose daughter was subjected to the role-playing exercise, expressed his outrage. “I send my daughter to school to be educated, not sexually indoctrinated,” he said. “The district should stick to teaching essential subjects for my daughter to succeed in life and stop wasting so much time on woke indoctrination. How can I trust a school district that overreaches by secretly imposing sexual ideologies on my daughter that conflict with our religious faith and also fails to protect her from being bullied by other students?”
California school curriculum? pic.twitter.com/sDN6rqoyFL
— John Panaretos (@J_Panaretos) December 18, 2024
Parents Left in the Dark, Legal Violations Alleged
According to NCLP’s investigation, VUSD failed to notify parents that these controversial materials were being introduced into their children’s education. The California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA) requires districts to provide parents with advance notice and the ability to opt their children out of sexual education courses. However, VUSD allegedly skirted these requirements by embedding radical gender ideology into non-sex education courses, making it impossible for parents to protect their children from exposure.
“Parents have the right to know exactly what their children are being taught in school about human sexuality, especially when that teaching contradicts their family’s sincerely held and constitutionally protected religious beliefs,” said Dean Broyles, President of NCLP.
Broyles added: “VUSD is out of touch with reality and is working very hard to attempt to indoctrinate young minds by pushing an extreme and failed DEI agenda throughout its curriculum to a young captive audience. The district is foolishly continuing to bang its head against this broken wall at the very moment when corporate America is waking up and appropriately turning against these divisive ideologies, famously labeled the ‘woke mind virus’ by Elon Musk.”
Legal Action Looms
The demand letter submitted by NCLP argues that VUSD’s policies not only violate state and federal parental rights protections but also infringe upon students’ First Amendment rights to freely exercise their religious beliefs. The letter warns the district that legal action is potentially imminent if they do not cease their promotion of radical gender ideology in classrooms and restore parents’ right to direct their children’s moral and ethical upbringing.
CFC Calls Out Radical Gender Agenda
Greg Burt, Vice President of the California Family Council (CFC), also weighed in on the controversy. “The California Family Council stands with these parents in their fight for truth and transparency. Schools should be teaching kids math and reading, not coercing them into role-playing as LGBTQ+ individuals or pushing the false ideology that gender is fluid,” Burt said. “The fact that Vista Unified is deliberately ignoring the law and shutting parents out should concern every Californian who values religious liberty and parental rights.”
What’s Next?
The NCLP has given VUSD a deadline to respond to their legal demands, including:
- A formal apology to parents and students who were forced into LGBTQ+ role-playing activities.
- Immediate reform of VUSD’s curriculum to ensure compliance with CHYA’s parental notice and opt-out provisions.
- A commitment to protect students from bullying when they express dissenting religious views on gender and sexuality.
If VUSD fails to comply, litigation is on the table.
This battle represents a broader national movement against radical gender ideology infiltrating schools. Parents across the country are demanding greater oversight and accountability in public education, and the case in Vista may set a precedent for the future.
The California Family Council, along with the National Center for Law & Policy, vows to continue fighting for parental rights, religious freedom, and the well-being of students.
