Let's revisit what it means when we speak of "parental rights".

As a foundational precursor to considering what a parental right is, let's think about what is meant by an unalianable right. Why? Because the rights of parents are unalianable.

So what is an unalianable right?

The Founding Fathers had much to say about God-given rights.

The fundamental source of all your errors, sophisms and false reasonings is a total ignorance of the natural rights of mankind. Were you once to become acquainted with these, you could never entertain a thought, that all men are not, by nature, entitled to a parity of privileges. You would be convinced, that natural liberty is a gift of the beneficent Creator to the whole human race, and that civil liberty is founded in that; and cannot be wrested from any people, without the most manifest violation of justice. Civil liberty is only natural liberty, modified and secured by the sanctions of civil society. It is not a thing, in its own nature, precarious and dependent on human will and caprice; but it is conformable to the constitution of man, as well as necessary to the well-being of society…The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.

- Alexander Hamilton

Jeremiah 31:33 and Hebrews 8:10 both indicate that God’s law is “written upon our hearts”. Are our God given rights written there as well?

Yes, Jefferson points out that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are among the bedrock rights created and given to us by God. Jefferson goes on to imply that a good many other rights are included as part of God’s endowment, an idea captured beautifully and succinctly as the Ninth Amendment of our federal Constitution:

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to

deny or disparage others retained by the people.

It should be noted that James Madison, while proposing the Bill of Rights on the floor of Congress in 1789, acknowledged the most powerful objection to including a list of God given rights within the federal Constitution, namely that an enumerated list of core rights might somehow be looked on as being a complete list of the core rights held by the people. Madison said of this objection: “This is one of the most plausible arguments I have ever heard urged against the admission of a bill of rights into this system; but, I conceive, that may be guarded against. I have attempted it, as gentlemen may see by turning to the last clause of the 4^th resolution" (a reference to what would eventually become the above noted Ninth Amendment).

It is important for parents to understand their rights, specifically how to opt their children out of disagreeable classes.

Again, the SCOTUS decision mentioned above directly impacts what children might be exposed to at school. This changes the game for parents everywhere. That’s why Moms for Liberty has created a free, practical resource that shows parents exactly what to do to protect their children.

Inside folks will find:

✅ A ready-to-send Parent-to-Teacher Opt-Out Letter you can personalize and use
✅ A simple, confidence-boosting sample presentation to help parents speak up with clarity

Whether a child is in public school, private school, or is attending homeschool enrichment programs, parents deserve to feel informed, empowered, and confident in advocating for their student(s). This guide will help with doing just that.

Remember, it is now up to us. We must fight to preserve our values and principles. To that end, we must make our education system and our schools excellent, accountable, responsive and fair. California's children deserve the best we can provide...

School Choice: The Children's Educational Opportunity Act

Learn more below...

2. Parents choose the best education option for their child
Parents select an eligible school that suits their child best.Options range from public and charter schools to private, faith-based institutions, and homeschooling. The chosen school coordinates with the ESA Trust board to allocate funds for educational expenses. Parents do not handle the money directly; transactions occur between the state-controlled ESA and the selected school.

3. Covered education expenses under the Education Savings Account
The ESA covers various educational expenses, including

•  transportation to and from school and school-related activities

4. Unused ESA funds roll over annually and accrue interest
Any unused funds within the student's ESA carry over each year, accruing interest to support future educational expenses throughout the student's life. This is not a voucher program where you lose the funding if you do not use it that year.

If you would like to help in the effort to gather enough signatures to get this important initiative on the 2026 ballot, please let us know.

Mark Your Calendar: Next All Members National Call

Lies Promoted by Trans Activists

Moms for Liberty Santa Clara Meets with Tara Petsch

Clear Indications of a Declining Education System

‘These results are sobering’: US high school seniors’ reading and math scores plummet

An article by Anna Betts posted to The Guardian on Sep 20 2025

The results, from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), found that, on average, reading scores for 12^th graders were 10 points lower in 2024 than they were in 1992, when the test was first administered, and that math scores fell to their lowest levels since 2005, when the math assessment began.

The test, administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which is part of the US Department of Education, assessed roughly 19,300 12th-graders in math, 24,300 in reading and 23,000 eighth-graders in science between January and March of last year.

The report found that 35% of seniors “performed at or above” the NAEP’s “proficient” level in reading, and 22% were at or above that level in math.

It also stated that 45% of 12th graders scored below the NAEP’s “basic” level in math, marking a five percentage-point increase from 2019. In reading, 32% of students scored below the basic level, which was a two-point increase from 2019.

“These results are sobering,” said NCES acting commissioner Matthew Soldner. “The drop in overall scores coincides with significant declines in achievement among our lowest-performing students,

continuing a downward trend that began before the Covid pandemic.

“Among our nation’s high-school seniors, we’re now seeing a larger percentage of students scoring below the NAEP basic achievement level in mathematics and reading than in any previous assessment.”

Robert Balfanz, a professor at John Hopkins University School of Education, said easy access to information online and the use of online assignments may also be leading some students to treat in-person school attendance as optional.

“In their minds, they tell their parents, ‘Look, all my assignments are online, I can do them even if I’m not at school,’” Balfanz said.

But while the Covid pandemic and school closures had major effects on learning, experts say the academic decline began before 2020.

“The uncomfortable truth is that American students have been significantly losing ground for more than a decade,” Eric Hanushek, an education economist, wrote in an opinion piece last week. “The pandemic didn’t break American education – it was already broken.”

Kane said the decline among lower-achieving students began some time around 2015 and has continued.

“It’s clearly not just the pandemic,” Kane said. “It should be troubling to everyone, and we need to find a solution.”

Experts point to a range of potential factors beyond absenteeism that could be contributing to the decline, including increased screen time and smartphone use, declining student engagement, and the rollback of test-based accountability since the expiration of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2015.

Carol Jago, a longtime English teacher and literacy expert at UCLA, told the Associated Press last week that students today read fewer books and spend less time with longer texts.

“To be a good reader, you have to have the stamina to stay on the page, even when the going gets tough,” Jago said. “You have to build those muscles, and we’re not building those muscles in kids.”

Balfanz added that the constant exposure to short-form and visual media in students’ daily lives may be making academic focus more difficult.

One potential solution, he said, could be to add more dedicated reading time into school days – and restricting smartphones in classrooms.

Kane noted that academic declines are appearing in other countries as well, which suggests a broader global trend that could be linked to increased screen use.

Some US states have already passed laws restricting phone use in schools. Kane believes that there needs to be a national effort to assess the impact and effectiveness of those policies to see whether they work and ought to be implemented in more areas.

The role of smart phones and social media in academic performance came up this week during a Senate hearing on the NAEP results.

Martin West, the vice-chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees policy for the NAEP, told lawmakers that the rise of “smartphones and social media platforms targeting youth” is one area they should investigate.

“We lack direct evidence of a causal link between smartphones and learning, but I’m convinced that this technology is a key driver of youth mental health challenges, a distraction from learning, both inside and outside of schools, and a deterrent to reading,” West said.

Rebecca Winthrop, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, testified that student disengagement was exacerbated by the pandemic and is being amplified by social media. She endorsed actions such as smart phone bans, higher academic expectations, and adopting more engaging teaching styles.

The NAEP results also reignited the debate around the federal government’s role in education, with US education secretary Linda McMahon saying last week that the lesson from the results “is clear”.

“Success isn’t about how much money we spend, but who controls the money and where that money is invested,” she said. “That’s why President Trump and I are committed to returning control of education to the states so they can innovate and meet each school and students’ unique needs.”

Representative Tim Walberg, a Republican who chairs the House education committee, agreed and said that “by returning education to the states, we can empower parents and local communities and ensure every child gains the skills necessary to succeed”.

But Democratic representative Bobby Scott pushed back, writing that the NAEP results “reinforce the urgent need for sustained federal investment in academic recovery and educational equity”.

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Who Protect Children and Promote Liberty

• You don't have to speak from memory. It is perfectly acceptable to read a statement off of a sheet of paper, a cell phone, or a laptop.

• Know that all comments become part of the public record. This is hugely important. One of the key components of being a citizen in a representative republic is making sure your views are known. This is done at the voting booth, yes, but it is also done at school board, city council, and townhall meetings. Make your voice heard.

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Moms for Liberty: Helping to foster a renewed culture of service and patriotism...

Moms for Liberty California Endorses Sonja Shaw 

for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction