Parental Rights

On May 28, Keri D. Ingraham appeared on The Andy Caldwell Show with guest host Dave Cross. Ingraham explains how the Department of Education is reducing its federal footprint. Ingraham dispels the fearmongering tactics of teachers unions and government officials and highlights how the major reforms happening in the Department of Education are incentivizing states to modernize their education systems. In part two, Ingraham explores how the push for phonics-based literacy instruction in states like Mississippi is producing better academic outcomes and forging the way for other states to do the same. School choice is empowering parents to ensure their child gets an academically rigorous education.

Keri D. Ingraham recently appeared on Kevin McCullough’s That Kevin Show Podcast as well as his television show. On Kevin McCullough’s television broadcast she discussed the Education Freedom Tax Credit. Ingraham explained how taxpayers can contribute to a scholarship granting organization and receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit up to $1,700 per year. She discussed which states have already opted into the program. The conversation also touched parental concern and dissatisfaction with public education. On That Kevin Show Podcast, Ingraham talked about accountability in the education system. She addressed progress on dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, how school choice improves educational outcomes, and parental rights. (Segment begins at 51:30)

Earlier in March, the U.S. Supreme Court had to step in and reaffirm the basic reality that parents, not schools, must be the primary decision-makers for their children. In the Mirabelli v. Bonta ruling, the Court determined that the California law, which barred schools from telling parents about their child’s claimed gender identity, violated parents’ constitutional rights — both their First Amendment free exercise rights and their Fourteenth Amendment rights to make decisions about their children’s upbringing. For most of American history, parents were recognized as the primary authority in their children’s lives. Today, that authority is repeatedly under attack, especially in public schools. Across the country, families are being shut out of what their children learn, denied access to Read More ›

American public education has lost sight of its purpose. Too often, progressive political agendas take time away from teaching core academic learning to children. A glaring example is the anti-ICE agenda that has infiltrated classrooms, where students are encouraged — and even instructed — during learning time to make signs and stand on street corners to protest during the school day. Many of these children have little to no accurate understanding of the issue and have not been given objective facts or context to evaluate it critically. Instead of learning to think for themselves, students are guided toward a particular political viewpoint. This undermines critical thinking, erodes intellectual development, and wastes precious learning time that should be spent on core Read More ›

Keri D. Ingraham recently appeared on the Knight & Rose Show. Together with Wintery Knight and guest host Bonnie, Dr. Ingraham discussed the importance of introducing the free market into K-12 education, the current dismal reading and math scores of public school students, parental rights and involvement in education, and the exciting school choice wave that has swept the nation, offering hope to parents and students for a better education.

California’s Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD), like many districts across the state, offers a confidential arrangement known as an Identity Support Plan for transgender and gender-nonconforming students. Under this policy, staff are required to affirm a student’s stated gender identity in all aspects of school life — including names, pronouns, use of facilities, and records privacy. The plan explicitly allows students to exclude their parents from being notified or involved if the student chooses. Although the policy’s stated goal is to promote equity and safety for LGBTQ+ students — a goal many support — it also means parents may remain completely unaware of major developments in their children’s identities and experiences at school. The critical issue, according to SAUSD Read More ›

California’s Family Preparedness Plan Act (AB 495), a proposed California law triggered by the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, is purportedly intended to provide children with a safety net if their parents or legal guardians become suddenly unavailable due to emergencies such as hospitalization, incarceration, or immigration-related detention. While the bill is promoted as a compassionate and practical response to crisis situations, its underlying structure threatens to undermine core parental rights and expose children to an array of unintended risks if left uncorrected. Central to AB 495’s mechanism is the Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit. Under the proposed law, any adult could submit this affidavit, checking a box to state they “have advised the parent(s) or other person(s) having legal custody Read More ›