As this summer comes to an end, schools throughout California are starting their new school year. In light of existing and incoming changes to education policies and the broad legal landscape, we want to check in with a few suggestions for you to consider as you continue to advocate in your local school district.

**1.** **Monitor the implementation of ethnic studies in your local schools.**

The 2025-26 state budget does not contain any funding/appropriation portion for the ethnic studies mandate (AB 101). This means  **school districts are not obligated to make the course a graduation requirement**. However, many school districts are teaching the controversial subject to varying degrees: while some like the San Diego Unified School District are  [requiring](https://www.sdusdethnicstudies.org/)  ethnic studies for high school graduation, others including the San Dieguito Union High School District have  [made](https://thecoastnews.com/san-dieguito-makes-ethnic-studies-optional-for-fall/)  the course optional. CFER’s school-district  [database](https://www.cferfoundation.org/research/crt-in-school-districts), which has surveyed 426 school districts in the Golden State has more information. If like me, you are also unconvinced about the so-called educational benefits of a contested discipline, you should  **closely monitor how ethnic studies is being taught in your local school district**. Speak up at school board meetings to let the trustees know a mandate for ethnic studies is not backed by state funding and to request public access to course materials as well as evidence of educational efficacy.

**2.** **Protect your child’s rights and advance parental rights by opting out of invasive gender education.**

As you may know, the recent  **U.S. Supreme Court  [ruling](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-297_4f14.pdf)  in  _Mahmoud v. Taylor_  allows parents to opt their children out of reading LGBTQ+ inclusive storybooks**  and other relevant contents in public schools. This is a much-needed blow to the dangerous and constant drumbeat of transgender ideology activists, who have spent the last two decades usurping public education and infiltrating the system with age-inappropriate indoctrination. Our children’s innocence is worth protecting and fighting for. Please pay attention to how your local schools are curating school library books and seek opt-out forms at the school district level. The ruling in  _Mahmoud v. Taylor_  protects parents’ First Amendment right to require schools give reasonable notice and opportunity to opt their children out of certain school lessons on the ground of religious or moral belief. You can choose to remove your child from:

· Lessons and activities teaching gender identity and gender transition.

· Lessons and curriculum portraying, detailing and normalizing LGBTQ+ behavior.

· “LGBTQIA+ inclusive” books contradicting your family’s beliefs on marriage/sexuality.

· Health class lessons, literature selections and other school materials that contradict your family’s religious/moral convictions.

In addition to locating opt-out forms from your local school district, you can also utilize this opt-out  [form](https://www.ip-ca.org/opt-out)  from Informed Parents of California the Pacific Justice Institute.

Although topics and focuses pertaining to public education advocacy are constantly shifting and evolving, the core of the battle stays the same**: we must fight to preserve the values and principles necessary for making our schools excellent, accountable and fair**. In this spirit, I want to encourage you to stay engaged and organized in this school year. Check out CFER’s previous posts on  [elevating your cause](https://www.cferfoundation.org/posts/post-elevate-your-cause)and  [becoming organized](https://www.cferfoundation.org/posts/post-local-organizing-step-two). If you can, please also consider making a generous  [contribution](https://www.cferfoundation.org/support)  to CFER today so that we can help more and more parents at the local school district level.

Thank you warmly!

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Back to school to-do list for educational excellence and parental rights

Do you want to restore excellence and accountability in our public schools? Have you been fighting diligently in your local school district? You may be greatly encouraged by this:

**A student watchdog in the San Dieguito Union High School District prompted the school board to authorize an independent audit. The audit** [**corroborated**](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/08/05/audit-spurred-by-students-investigation-finds-financial-mismanagement-by-san-dieguito-high-school-foundations/?utm_email=44E364A3344CF4514563955369&lctg=44E364A3344CF4514563955369&active=yesD&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.sandiegouniontribune.com%2f2025%2f08%2f05%2faudit-spurred-by-students-investigation-finds-financial-mismanagement-by-san-dieguito-high-school-foundations%2f&utm_campaign=sdut-san_diego_union_tribune-essential_san_diego-nl&utm_content=curated) **the watchdog’s findings on financial mismanagement, facility misuses and lack of transparency.**

This story matters for many good reasons, chief among which are: 1. Its  **demonstration of the effectiveness of persistent and strategic local organizing**; 2. The vital value of a courageous challenger (in this case, two high school seniors).

Nearly a year ago, CFER was put in contact with two Canyon Crest Academy students who shared  [concerns](https://www.ravensfortransparency.org/the-report)about their school foundation (Canyon Crest Academy Foundation), a nonprofit operating independently of the school and the school district. The students formed a watchdog named Ravens for Transparency and  **blew the whistle on the foundation**’s “shady practices, incompetence, and secrecy,” including massive ambiguous expense unaccounted for, excessive bloat and other issues of financial mismanagement**. As soon as we learned about the case, CFER provided support by commissioning a third-party** [**audit**](https://strapi-cfer.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/d9926400b0265c40cbe2f4b3abbcd996.pdf)  of the school foundation through a reputable public accounting firm. With the third-party audit, these two brave students built more confidence to advocate for their case and continue the fight between September 2024 and now.

The school foundation responded with  [threats and smears](https://www.canyoncrestfoundation.org/about-ccaf/canyon-crest-academy-foundation-integrity-governance-and-transparency/), dismissing all allegations categorically and condemning the whistleblowers. Even though the foundation is a separate entity from the school, the school administration pressured the students to take down their report and the principal blasted a schoolwide  [email](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xhqWUzc8Q-3aaZQwPkAydQrPx39r0iuB/view)calling the students’ effort “grossly erroneous and misleading.” The school even classified the whistleblowing as “misinformation” and demanded the students learn to “communicate effectively, following appropriate norms and with civility and accuracy.”

**But the students and the community did not back down.** Since September 2024, parents and community members, many of whom were organized by two local organizations –  **Asian American Parent Alliance of San Diego**  ([AAPASD](https://www.aapasd.org/)) and  **Taxpayers Oversight for Parents and Students of SDUHSD**  (TOPS), spoke in support of the student watchdog at multiple school board meetings. Due to public pressure and  [media exposure](https://www.ravensfortransparency.org/timeline), the school board authorized an independent audit of all foundations within the school district in October 2024. The audit report was finished last month (July 2025) and  **echoed many findings in the CFER-commissioned audit**, especially regarding financial mismanagement, lack of fiscal transparency, and facility misuses.

After nearly two years of fighting and fending off retaliation, **the courageous students are finally vindicated, while the public good for accountability and transparency is delivered.** Kudos to Ravens for Transparency, AAPASD, and TOPS!

The moral of the story? Many hands make light work. With these brave individuals and groups fighting on the forefront, CFER was able to obtain necessary resources to  **support their fight with facts and research**!

At CFER, we firmly believe that  **the victory**  of Ravens for Transparency for holding the school district accountable, as well as other success stories, is  **replicable and scalable**. As long as local parents, students and community members are willing and ready to organize locally with diligence and persistence,  **CFER will always be here to support you**, every step of the way and one school district at a time!

If you are ready to start in your own local school district, let us know by replying to this email. We look forward to learning more and working with you. And if you believe in CFER’s work, resolve and track record, please consider making a generous  [donation](https://www.cferfoundation.org/support)  to us today. You can also  [become a CFER member](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member/register)  to support our legal advocacy and other operations.

Thank you!

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Student Watchdog Exposed School Foundations’ Mismanagement: Local Organizing Helps!

We have some exciting news to share with you today. **CFER, co-plaintiff Eva Zhou, and our legal counsel American Civil Rights (ACR) Project just scored a major legal** [**victory**](https://www.americancivilrightsproject.org/blog/sacramento-settles-lawsuit-brought-by-cfer-and-the-acr-project/) **in reaching a favorable settlement with Sacramento County**! According to the settlement, Sacramento agreed to remove the race eligibility criteria in its “Family First Economic Support Pilot” program and cover our attorneys’ necessary fees.  
  
Promoting the government to dial back from racial discrimination in **less than a year** is **a huge and swift win**! Sacramento County announced the program launch in September 2024 and had planned to begin payments to families raising “Black/African American or American Indian/Alaska Native child[ren]” at the beginning of 2025. In October 2024, CFER and the ACR Project [issued](https://www.americancivilrightsproject.org/blog/acr-project-notifies-sacramento-county-and-california-department-of-social-services-of-intent-to-sue-to-block-racially-exclusive-family-first-economic-support-pilot/) an intent to sue notice, threatening Sacramento with a lawsuit. Having received no response, we [filed](https://www.cferfoundation.org/posts/sue-sacramento-county-2025) the lawsuit in December 2024. **Due to our proactive monitoring, the program was never launched and it is now revamped to select beneficiaries without regard to race**!  
  
**Thanks to CFER board member Eva Zhou who courageously participated in the lawsuit as an individual co-plaintiff, we strengthened our legal standing in the lawsuit**, which helped secure this final triumph for equal protection!  
  
ACR Project Executive Director Dan Morenoff commented: “California and its subdivisions should not need reminding that racial discrimination is illegal. We’re pleased, though, that Sacramento came to its senses and decided to comply with American law. In time, voluntarily or because compelled by the Courts, the rest of the state will do the same.”  
  
Proponents of government preferences are like paper tigers. **Their penchant for wasting taxpayer funds on racial discrimination crumbles, the moment a legal challenge is mounted**. The million-dollar question is: **who is willing and ready to stand at the forefront to confront preferential government programs, whenever and wherever they are identified**?  
  
**In California, the answer is** **YOU and** **CFER**. We have made it our mission to advance equality and take on government entities in the court of law. And we are winning. **Settling with Sacramento is our fourth win in the last four years**. In some cases, we worked with individual plaintiffs, such as taxpayers and citizens to boost standing. In other cases, CFER acted as the sole plaintiff to shield the privacy and identity of our individual members who have standing. In either scenario, we need brave individuals like Eva Zhou to initiate the fight, anonymously or not. We are now streamlining this operation through CFER’s [membership](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member) structure so that you can work together with CFER to defend equality.  
  
**For just $10 a year, you can [become a CFER member](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member/register) and support our work for equality and merit.** You will have opportunities to participate in all CFER's future endeavors whenever applicable. If you have donated to us before or if you are experiencing financial hardship, we can [waive](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member/membership-fee-waiver) your membership due.  
  
Currently, we are **looking for taxpayers in Sacramento and Orange County** to launch new challenges to stop racial discrimination. If you are a resident and taxpayer in either county, will you please let us know?

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Fighting and winning! We forced Sacramento to rescind race criteria in child welfare program

On July 16th, CFER and individual co-plaintiffs **filed a [lawsuit](https://pacificlegal.org/case/ucsd-basf-scholarship-discrimination/) against the University of California Board of Regents, University of California San Diego** and Black Alumni Scholarship Fund with the United States District Court Southern District of California. Represented by our partner and legal counsel Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), we are challenging a race-based scholarship named “Black Academic Excellence Initiative (BAEI),” at the University of California San Diego (UCSD).

BAEI is a [partnership](https://diversity.ucsd.edu/initiatives/black-academic-excellence/index.html) between UCSD’s Black Alumni Council and the San Diego Foundation that gives qualified UCSD students both financial aid and mentorship opportunities. It is only available for “admitted Black undergraduates.” Although UCSD denies any official involvement in the selection of the scholarship recipients and in its administration, our lawsuit provides overwhelming evidence that the school, a public university funded by California taxpayers, is intimately engaged in the history and current operations of BAEI.  There is irrefutable proof that UCSD is an active participant of racial discrimination through the scholarship, which results in the school’s **violation of Proposition 209 and the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution**.

For this timely endeavor, we are **joined by CFER members** who are: 1. a current UCSD student who was excluded from BASF due to her race (CFER Member A); 2. an Asian American high schooler who has plans to apply to UCSD (CFER Member B); 3. Multiple CFER high school members with plans to apply to UCSD (CFER High School Members); 4. Mr. Kai Peters, a non-Black UCSD junior who would have participated in both the financial and mentorship components of BAEI.

Thanks to CFER’s expanding base of constituents, we have been able to advocate for equality in the court of law on behalf of our members and supporters. This case is the [seventh case](https://www.cferfoundation.org/legal) we have brought against California public agencies in our tireless effort to defend equality. Of the seven, we have scored at least four victories and will continue to press forward.

**To consolidate our readiness and efficiency to take on California entities in courts whenever racial discrimination is present, CFER is now officially a** [**membership organization**](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member)**.** For just $10 a year, you can become a CFER member and support our work for equality and merit. You will have opportunities to participate in all CFER's future endeavors whenever applicable, including but not limited to:

-   Legal challenges to uphold equal treatment
-   Alliance building
-   Local organizing
-   Policy monitoring

If you have donated to us before or if you are experiencing financial hardship, we can [waive](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member/membership-fee-waiver) your membership due. [**Join us today**](https://www.cferfoundation.org/member/register)!

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We just took University of California San Diego to court!

First of all, congratulations to you for making up your mind to get involved in your local school district! A couple of weeks ago, we sent out an invitation to **[elevate your cause](https://www.cferfoundation.org/posts/post-elevate-your-cause)**, which has been well received with many positive responses.  
  
Now what? How do we get started after identifying the noble causes we want to advocate for?  
  
Some prefer rallies. Others want to get behind campaigns for elections or recalls. Albeit exciting, these campaigns can hardly generate long-term results. Without solid local organizing, political campaigns alone are insufficient in helping us win the culture war in your school district. In this regard, it is crucial that **you attend your school district board meetings in person at the start of your journey to improve local education**.  
  
By attending school board meetings, you will be able to familiarize yourself with lingo and concepts frequently used in local educational settings, such as: ADA, California dashboards, LCAP and etc. You may find out that you need to visit [Transparent California](https://transparentcalifornia.com/) to check out school district finances. You will learn about publicly available reports like [FCMAT reports](https://www.fcmat.org/fcmat-reports) that give more information regarding your school district’s business practices. Perhaps you don’t think your public comments can call trustees’ attention to the important issues pertaining to your local schools. But trust me: **when you have knowledge of school district businesses and speak with their language, your advocacy work can actually move the needle**. First and foremost, developing practical knowhow on the business of local education policymaking through observing school board meetings up close and in person can help you build credibility among your fellows, which also can help attract parents and community members in the middle.  
  
By speaking up at school board meetings regularly, you can also **sharpen your capability to talk about often controversial issues calmly and your ability to conduct yourself professionally** in an environment where many people are in disagreement with you. While we are the silent majority, you should realistically expect most other meeting attendees (school board members, district administrators and teachers’ union members) to passionately disagree with you on most issues. You should also expect to hear some of the most ridiculous statements coming from them. Showing up regularly and professionally would be a test to see if you can use prudence and express your points clearly under pressure. While it is understandable that many just can't help themselves to laugh or yell at the other side’s nonsense, you have to withhold from sharing your disgust in any toxic manner. Public meetings are a good place to practice being "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." (James 1: 19 NIV)  
  
Going to school board meetings regularly will also aid in growing your team organically and gradually. You will meet other frustrated parents and concerned community members who may show up occasionally.  
  
At these school board meetings, you will be able to demonstrate your love and understanding for the students and all fellow Americans through intent listening. Even though most attendees may share different opinions on some fundamental issues, you can work to find some common grounds. For example, in Poway Unified, a union-backed trustee listened to the parent watchdog group PUSD Community Watch (PCW) when PCW reported about the omission of the Pledge of Allegiance at an elementary school. The trustee, who has a military background, heeded PCW's advice. Your love for the next generation and our country makes it possible and necessary to work with those in disagreement. In the long run, it is critical for you to win the hearts and minds of your fellows.  
  
Last but not the least, if you are lucky to have a school board trustee you already support, your presence and comments in support of him/her will provide the strongest encouragement and affirmation for the trustee. We have seen so many terrible cases in which the lone independent trustee is bullied by the teachers' union and its puppet trustees. Imagine just how grateful the lone brave trustee would be if you show up at the board meetings in person and consistently.  
  
Summer is here. We implore you to challenge yourself and set a goal to speak at your school board meetings for the next scholar year. It will definitely be a sacrifice of your time and energy but will it will be immensely rewarding. You will find that you can build your knowledge, team, and self-control to advocate for education and for our future generations! Once you have the team and knowledge, you will have all the resources you need to take back your school district. And you will not be alone, if you have any question during your time at the board meetings, many organizations, including CFER, California Policy Center, Parents Defending Education and [more](https://www.cferfoundation.org/alliance/endorse) can help!  
  
Thank you for the kind attention!

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Step 2: Attend school board meetings in person!

That “**health disparities have racist roots**” has become a common myth. In California, the passage of [SB 17](https://greenlining.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SB-17-Senator-Pan-Factsheet.pdf) in 2021 led to the establishment of a statewide Office of Racial Equity and a declaration that “**racism is a public health crisis**” Following the state government’s rhetoric, many race-based public health programs have proliferated at the local level, among which is the San Diego County Black Infant Health Program ([BIH](https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/phs/black_infant_health_program.html)).  
  
Aimed at “improv[ing] African-American infant and maternal health, as well as decreas[ing] Black-White health and social inequities for women and infants,” BIH provides “a culturally affirming environment and honor[s] the unique history of African-American women.” Specifically, the program “uses a group-based approach with complementary client-centered case management to help participants develop life skills, strategies to reduce stress, and build social support.”  
  
This sounds **blatantly unconstitutional**! While we are astounded to learn about BIH, CFER has resolved to challenge the constitutionality and legality of the program’s facially race requirement. In order for us to have a strong legal standing in arguing this case, we will **need individual plaintiffs who are: 1. Non-Black San Diego residents; 2. Pregnant or Planning for kids**. As always, CFER protects the anonymity and privacy of our individual plaintiff members. **If you know someone who fits our criteria, will you point us to her way?**  
  
To defend the indefensible, race hustlers often weaponize research to justify their claims for racial preferences. In the case of BIH, proponents point to research on “obstetric racism” and other health inequities in birth outcomes. Does this kind of research hold weight?  
  
CFER Executive Director Dr. Wenyuan Wu published a  literature [review](https://www.mindingthecampus.org/2025/06/16/californias-race-based-pregnancy-payouts-backed-by-dubious-studies/) of prevalent research behind programs like BIH, which found a sand castle of flawed studies, confirmation biases and misinterpreted causality. For instance, a 2023 journal [article](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9968447/#:~:text=Black%20people%20are%203%E2%80%934%20times%20more%20likely%20to%20die%20in%20labor%20or%20from%20related%20complications%20in%20comparison%20to%20white%20women%20and%20birthing%20people%20(Howell%2C%202018)) from _Social Science & Medicine_, frequently quoted to show racism against “Black birthing people,” contains a measly sample size of 34 participants and puts out outlandish claims such as “the Black Lives Matter Movement is necessary.” There is also a 2018 [paper](https://www.mindingthecampus.org/2025/06/16/californias-race-based-pregnancy-payouts-backed-by-dubious-studies/) in the _European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology_ that identified 23 maternal risk factors. Out of the 23 factors, individual-level variables such as preterm birth, preexisting hypertension, preexisting diabetes and sickle cell anemia were found to be more consequential than race. If you want to learn more about the corruption and misuse of “scientific research,” read her latest analysis [here](https://www.mindingthecampus.org/2025/06/16/californias-race-based-pregnancy-payouts-backed-by-dubious-studies/).  
  
In 2023, we worked with several concerned San Franciscans to [challenge](https://www.americancivilrightsproject.org/blog/acr-project-files-amended-complaint-in-challenge-to-unconstitutional-guaranteed-income-programs/) a similar program called “The Abundant Birth Project.” While that case is still active, we have strengthened our resolve to identify and expose other race-based public health initiatives. Please help us by connecting CFER with potential individual plaintiffs.  
  
Thank you in advance!

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