EXCLUSIVE: California Parents Rights Group Sets the Example In a Blue State
The president of PERK tells FreedomFest activists they can have an effect, even in a blue state, if they unite and fight for parents rights.
Parents Rights took the main stage at the 2024 FreedomFest in Las Vegas in July. One of the main participants was PERK—Protection of the Education Rights of Kids. An enthusiastic group of women who run PERK told everyone they could reach how they could fight back against the oppression of the state. Even in a blue state like California.
PERK started fighting for parents rights in 2019 to fight Senate Bill 276, which drastically increased the number of vaccines required for children to attend school. Their activity ramped up further during the draconian 2020 COVID lockdowns in California. All along, they’ve aggressively and effectively defended the rights of parents in choosing how to raise their children.
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Amy Bohn, President and co-founder of PERK, said she was enthusiastic about the ability of her group to create real victories for parents in California. She urged residents of blue states, in particular, not to give up, and to band together to fight back for their rights as parents and for their children. Bohn took the main stage at FreedomFest on Friday to talk about her group’s mission, the importance of parental sovereignty, and why California is not a lost cause.
Fighting the Blue State Tyrants
According to their website, PERK has four main missions: Educational Rights, Parental Sovereignty, Medical Freedom, and Advocacy and Education. Bohn said one of their main methods of achieving victories was via lawsuits. They won their first lawsuit, filed at the height of COVID lockdowns:
SCHNEIDER V. CONEJO VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
PERK filed the first lawsuit in California suing the school district for violating the law by illegally providing minors with inappropriate “Gender Affirming” surveys, medically and age-inappropriate curriculum, without proper parent notification. Transitioning a child’s gender, promoting gender affirming treatment, and sexually explicit curriculum to minors without parent’s knowledge or proper consent is illegal. This case argues that the sex ed curriculum adopted by a suburban LA school district violates state law. The school district is trying to get the case dismissed but our attorneys believe we have a good chance to get it at issue and to set an example for how to litigate these issues across California.Status: We defeated most of the school district’s motion to dismiss this case last summer. Nonetheless, the district filed another request to dismiss our updated complaint. The judge will rule on that motion on November 15. If we prevail, the judge will set the case for trial sometime next year.
In an interview with Restoration News, Bohn said what sets PERK apart is that they’re having an impact. “We’ve been able to successfully litigate and win lawsuits in California,” Bohn said. “We were able to push back on the vaccine mandates. At the city level, the county level, and the state level. We won on those issues. San Diego had to drop their mandate. LA County was going to fire tens of thousands of public employees over the mandate. We sued them and won.”
Parents Rights Unite Activists
She also said they saw significant success at the school district level. “The courts ruled in our favor,” Bohn said, “where the schools were trying to implement the mandate on children, and they didn’t have authority to do that.”
Bohn cited PERK’s ability to mobilize the people in California towards what to do and how to do it. She said they’ve had millions of actions taken by individual volunteers advancing their agenda. Uniting with a common purpose has motivated regular folks to get involved, stay united, and sometimes even run for office. “We’re really at the tip of the spear in California when it comes to protecting children, parental rights, and medical freedom,” she said, “and we’re seeing those wins happen. In California we’re guiding people toward effective action, they’re taking that action, and then we’re seeing the results.”
One of the most important actions PERK has taken involves getting faith leaders involved. “Our directors speak at pastor retreats and forums at churches,” Bohn said. “They activate these communities that care about parental rights and medical freedom in children, and make sure they understand. You have to do something about it. We need you to activate your congregations.”
She urged people living in other blue states to do the same. Bohn insists California is not a lost cause. She said, “All these actions show you that a state like California that people often give up on is actually winnable.”
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