By Suzanne Downing 
Attorney General Pamela Bondi issued a memorandum to all United States Attorneys on Sept. 8 outlining the Department of Justice’s policy to safeguard parental rights and First Amendment liberties in educational settings.
The memo, titled “Upholding Constitutional Rights and Parental Authority in America’s Educational System,”emphasizes the DOJ’s commitment to protecting parents who speak out about their children’s education. Bondi wrote:
“In the United States of America, parents have the right and the responsibility to speak out in defense of their children. The Department of Justice remains steadfast in its obligation to protect the constitutional liberties of every American especially when those rights are exercised in the defense of family, faith, and the future of our nation.”
Bondi’s directive highlights concerns that state and local officials have advanced “radical gender and racial ideology” in schools while retaliating against dissenting parents. She cited the First Amendment’s protections for free speech, assembly, and petitioning government—including at public school board meetings, warning that these rights cannot be subordinated to “political trends or bureaucratic convenience.”
The memo also recognizes parents’ rights to direct the moral and religious education of their children, pointing to federal protections that allow families to exempt students from instruction conflicting with their religious beliefs. Bondi referenced the Supreme Court’s decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which recognized that compelled exposure to certain materials against parental objections may violate federal law.
“Let me be clear: when school board members, administrators, and other government officials threaten law-abiding parents, they can and will be held accountable,” Bondi wrote, citing 18 U.S.C. § 241, which criminalizes conspiracies to violate constitutional rights.
Bondi’s memo follows a series of high-profile disputes in recent years over parental rights in education.
- Loudoun County, Virginia: Parents clashed with the school district over policies related to gender identity and the handling of sexual assault cases. Some parents were arrested at school board meetings, sparking national debates about whether officials had infringed on free speech rights.
- Chino Valley, California: A school board policy requiring schools to notify parents if their child requested to identify as a different gender became the subject of state lawsuits. Parents argued the state was undermining their rights to know and guide their children’s upbringing.
- Montgomery County, Maryland: Parents sued the district after being denied the ability to opt their children out of lessons featuring LGBTQ-themed storybooks, claiming the policy violated their religious freedom. Federal courts have allowed parts of the case to proceed.
Bondi directed the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and US Attorneys to monitor potential violations of parental rights and to work with partners at every level of government to respond to credible threats against parents.
“We are restoring the rule of law and returning the federal government to the people it serves. This Department stands with America’s parents,” Bondi concluded.
Suzanne Downing
The Anchorage School District still has the “Transgender Guidelines” in its decision to hide gender transitioning from parents. The district and the school board actually hide this “policy” from parents because it is a “guideline” and not a policy. Reason to not make it a policy: the board does not want any discussion/debate in the public forum. So, the board can say, “We didn’t know that”. But it is fully aware of these guidelines and is complicit in hiding gender ID, pronoun usage, and gender transitioning from parent for kids in middle and high schools.