As you may know, right after the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division issued an official letter to each public school district in California regarding protecting female student athletes, the California Department of Education (CDE) pushed back with political grandstanding, urging school districts to defy the Federal Government.

In a nutshell, on Monday (June 2), the U.S. Department of Justice warned schools against the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Bylaw 300.D, which allows biological males’ participation in girls’ sports on the basis of gender identity. The Justice Department argues that this rule violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. As such, school districts implementing the CIF bylaw will be in violation of the Constitution. On Tuesday (June 3), CDE fought back in an open letter to all California superintendents and charter school administrators, asking them to hold the line against DOJ.

Once again, local educational agencies are caught in the crossfire between federal and state governments, with one side asserting the unconstitutionality of practicing transgenderism in interscholastic sports and the other insisting schools protect transgender athletes’ rights.

Which side are you on?

While different ideological and political persuasions underline the struggles between California’s state education bureaucracy and the Trump Administration, local school districts are governing public education as a local matter. School board members, superintendents and other school district leaders must first and foremost respond to the needs, demands and voices of their local constituents – parents, students, residents, taxpayers… Now, more than ever, it is time for us to organize ourselves, empower fellow citizens and become proactive to advocate for positive changes and make local voices heard in our local school district.

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 66% of Americans favor policies that require trans athletes to compete on teams that match their sex assigned at birth. Another poll from YouGov confirms this: only 23% of Americans oppose the Justice Department’s position. If you don’t agree with CDE on this issue, you are not alone. Nor are you of the minority voice.

California’s political elites have been hijacked by fringe ideologies for far too long that their proposals are often far removed from both reality and public opinion. Thankfully, the state is not running our schools. If you agree with basic principles of fairness, equality and merit, reach out to your local school board trustees today. Let them know your rightful concerns regarding our classrooms being turned into places of ideological capture and virtue signaling at the expense of fundamental fairness and equality. Let them know that you know your views are representative of the American public and they must acknowledge the public when directing our children’s education.

As always, CFER is ready and willing to help you scale up your local organizing efforts, when you are ready. Just email us at info@cferfoundation.org and we will get it started. CFER’s state and national allies, whether in parental rights advocacy, research or policy monitoring, can also provide valuable resources for you and your local group. You will not fight alone!

We believe in our approach of changing the culture and Americans’ hearts and minds, one school district at a time. If you believe in CFER, will you support us with a generous financial gift?

Thank you!