Armstrong argued that Moms for Liberty groups operate somewhat independently, and that reports of local chapters pursuing offensive policies do not reflect the parent organizations aims. Ron DeSantis, and former U.N. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. I work with struggling readers. Those . This looks like ALAs reconsideration request form with some adjustments. What it doesnt mean, though, is that groups like this should fund and infiltrate schools with their ideology. Sex education has long been a divisive and fiercely debated topic at school board meetings, but in recent years, the culture war over classroom instruction has become incendiary, with Republicans making wild and baseless claims about children being indoctrinated by the left. I'm proud to join @SenJimmyDillon, @SenatorHughes, @SenSharifStreet, @SenTartaglione, and. CNN's Elle Reeve talks with the Colorado chapter of the conservative education activist group Moms for Liberty, which . This is not just concerned moms. Something went wrong. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Then learn how and why you may want touse FOIA to uncover book challenges. Moms for Libraries will be working with Brave Books to launch the campaign. However, in the statement accompanying the report, the SPLC warned that hate groups are increasingly engaging in public demonstrations using flyering, marches and banner displays to gain media attention, with schools in particular emerging as a target not just for radical parents groups, but for established hate groups like the Proud Boys. Fabulous Families for Freedom Rally, Philly Childrens Movement/Philly Childcare Collective, Saturday, 12th and Filbert. In their latest Year in Hate & Extremismreport, the nonprofit civil rights advocacy group described Moms for Liberty as one of the most recognized names in the anti-student inclusion movement. The report also mentions the groups willingness to fight tooth and nail to preserve the unseen but understood caste system existing in their public schools and communities., In a statement, an SPLC spokesperson went on to denote the group as one of the most active extremist, anti-student groups that aims to attack public education, ban books, and remove any curriculum that contains discussions of race, discrimination, and LGBTQ+ identities.. The Leadership Institute is an influential right-wing organization that trains conservatives to run for office, and it has become one of the main known sources of funding for Moms for Liberty while providing training for many of Moms for Libertys chapter leaders. Winterode mentioned, Good news: Liberty, Missouri, schools will be. Covid and asbestos closed their Philadelphia high school. (modern). Ambassador Nikki Haley. These buzz words unite them, as well unite them with their faith and belief that they should be able to use taxpayer dollars to choose where their children go to school. For now, Curriculum updates at the Central York school district in York, Pennsylvania, are still being explored , Parents in Haywood County, North Carolina, respond with frustration at the, Some more books are on shelves in Wentzville, Missouri, school district shelves following this weeks board meeting. This is a political group that is aligned with the hard right political movement, Montgomery said. One of the current bills in legislature is the so-called educational savings account, a proschool choice initiative that would allow private citizens to dip into taxpayer money for vouchers that would allow their students to attend a private school. Then learn how and why you may want touse FOIA to uncover book challenges. What should be included in a good challenge policy? (Courtesy Shayna Penn) Author duo Norma Roth and Shayna Penn now live in Florida and Los Angeles, respectively, but the . He has also defended sexual predators like Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby. If you arent in a position to make those decisions, seek out those who are. Philadelphia board comes closer to overhaul of lottery-based selective admissions, Philadelphia schools face huge disruption if governor-backed voucher bill becomes law, critics say, Philadelphia school aims to establish International Baccalaurate program. Outline the exact steps of the formal process on the form, including timeline, committee makeup, contact points, and what information is used in making a decision. Planned protests include highway overpass banners, rallies by progressive grandparent and family groups, a giveaway of banned books, and day-long dance parties on Market Street with a gospel drag show and punk bands. Former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. That the folks behind films like The Mind Polluter, a current favorite right now among group like Moms, No Left Turn, and other pro-censorship coalitions, conveniently fail to draw that line. Theyre attending the meetings and fighting against books in the curriculum or libraries that go against their faith-based beliefs. Protesters outside the Moms For Liberty summit in Philadelphia handed out books that had been either banned or challenged by parents in states and districts around the country. The purpose of a challenge policy is to protect the professionals within an institution and to protect the rights of those whose tax money funds those institutions. For more ways to take action against censorship, use this toolkit forhow to fight book bans and challenges, as well as this guide toidentifying fake news. They still graduated. Elsewhere in the report, the count of active extremist groups is at 1,225, which is not significantly greater than the 2021 count of 1,221. The battle continues in Jonesboro Craighead County, Arkansas, book challenges at the public library. Comics have seen censorship since their beginning, and they remain among the most common targets of those who seek to remove books from school and library bookshelves. In Arkansas, Olivia is responsible for implementing the states new LEARNS Act, which diverts money from public schools to private and religious schools. But if enacted, the Lifeline Scholarship Program would be the first such program funded directly by the state. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. The group was started in 2021 by Tina Descovich, Tiffany Justice, and Bridget Ziegler in Florida. This is not the PTA. Corinne Sciolis vision is in sync with the school districts strategic plan, which calls for accelerating academic achievement and increasing students global awareness.. Parents like Josh Briggs, whose name is attached to the paperwork for Concerned Waukee Parents. Theyve also succeeded in getting their own members elected to school board positions, in order to accomplish their own far-right goals. During his time in state government, Donalds introduced measures to reduce the authority of local school boards and harm public education. In states like Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, and several others, politicians with established ties to these faith-based groups are proposing that schools now list every single book they own on their website so parents have quick access. Before Olivia was appointed by former Trump spokesperson-turned-Arkansas Gov. And while Moms for Liberty is spearheading this campaign now, one expert told VICE News that theyre simply the marketable face of something much larger. The second book in the Loveable Lucy series was banned from Florida schools. The Southern Poverty Law Center is for the first time labeling Florida-headquartered Moms for Liberty and 11 other right-wing "parents' rights" groups as extremist groups in its annual report, released Tuesday. In all honesty, between them and the other groups, the reason why I like Moms for Liberty so much is because I could sit there and say, Im a child of God, I believe in God, and I dont feel villainized, she told Billy Penn. Further groups, including conservative, Christian-aligned publishers like Brave Books and Heroes of Liberty, begin to donate these titles to schools and libraries while also spending scads of cash to rally more parents to request these titles for library and classroom collections (see: "Moms of Libraries," as well as library workers . He did this video smearing teachers as basically pro-pedophile and calls teachers unions terrorist organizations, Montgomery said of Walker. They added: "Parents are . Some groups plan to protest Moms for Liberty and their line up of speakers at the conference. weaknesses in ALAs template reconsideration, This looks like ALAs reconsideration request form, This book challenge form template is available to save, download, and modify, six of the books are not accessible to readers, considering banning books and critical race theory., because of parental complaints about queer books, elected to keep four books in the high school, 22 books are being challenged in Madison County School District in Mississippi, This came after a parent said there were 17 inappropriate books in a Facebook post. This weeks Moms for Liberty national summit in Philadelphia has provoked a storm of protests and denunciations, as well as supportive responses and possible counter-protests by the groups members. Florida Gov. Its about removing queer voices and voices of color. Note that this doesnt mean schools or libraries shouldnt have books by or about people with deep faith. In her book Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right, author Anne Nelson describes Moms for Liberty as one of the Council for National Policys obedient franchises. Bridget Ziegler didnt respond to VICE News request for comment about her involvement with Moms for Liberty and the Leadership Institute or its ties to the Council for National Policy. (Note: masks are a part of this argument, too, and youll see the book challenges and mask mandates go hand-in-hand.). The costs are high in time and in money, and they become a convenient arguing point for these groups, who can point to this as educational bureaucracy and a poor use of taxpayer money. SEX EDUCATION RESOURCES. Media Matters has since uncovered that another chapter of the . This is the same group claiming the book challenges theyre driving arent about the books. Armstrong said her passion lies in making sure parents understand their rights to shape their childrens education, especially parents of kids with developmental or emotional disabilities. These tactics are purposeful, coordinated, and damaging. In 2016, 40% of school districts in the United States used the National Sex Education Standards. Inside the spectacular collapse of Phillys luxury sports bar, How Philly is responding to the Moms for Liberty conference, Pennsylvania schools have 95 problems, but a bridge aint one | Opinion, Philadelphia teachers fear school district is wasting time and money on a new curriculum, Think the Phillies have been disappointing? queer books in the school districts library. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, he worked at the Florida Department of Education, where he implemented DeSantiss anti-woke education policies. Bloomberg. The family was established by God as the first institution, and it will always be so. And theyll all be joined by a veritable whos who of other right-wing politicians, far-right extremists, anti-LGBTQ activists, and virulent Christian nationalists. Enid Public Library (OK), which is now famous for banning book displays about sexuality or gender and killed their romance book club. By Carly Sitrin and Dale Mezzacappa. Email [email protected]. Former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Money doesnt always equal wins in Major League Baseball. Education advocates, LGBTQ groups, a Jewish mens organization, progressive political activists, and many others have issued statements opposing its mission and activities. Blackwell told VICE News that the Leadership Institute was happy for people from Moms for Liberty to participate in our training programs. He did not, however, respond to questions about the institutes role in funding the group and its conference. This uniformity and consistency is important, as the leading reason for book bans in school libraries right now is a district either choosing not to follow or ignoring their policies for challenges all together. Moms for Liberty was co-founded in January 2021 by Descovich and Justice who had exited central Florida school boards after opposing Covid-19 restrictions at public schools along with Bridget Ziegler, then in her second term on the Sarasota county school board. Republish. But in no way is reading banned books the solution to the real problem, and neither will buying those books, promoting those book, or offering those books for free. LGBTQ+ stickers were banned in a Kansas City area school. For more ways to take action against censorship, use this toolkit forhow to fight book bans and challenges, as well as this guide toidentifying fake news. SPLC has said Moms for Liberty "commonly propagates conspiracy theories about public schools attempting to indoctrinate and sexualise children with a progressive Marxist curriculum". Notable: Another West Whiteland resident, Mike Winterode, also spoke to the board. Jun 30, 2023, 4:08pm PDT. amid ongoing efforts in Pennsylvania to push through a state voucher program. Students at Frankford High School celebrated their graduation on Tuesday after more than two years of remote learning. Shapiro, The Black aviators from Philly who flew across country and trained the Tuskegee Airmen, Dining cars and mountain views: What its like to spend 20 hours on Amtrak, traveling from Philly to the Midwest, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Armstrong, who is Black, said at least one of the groups was palpably racist, but M4L was welcoming. Werecalled upon to stand strong against the Left and bring this 2024 election to a positive conclusion, but more importantly, be able to actually implement the agenda that we know this country needs, DeSantis said. Among the titles in Brave Bookss catalog are Elephants Are Not Birds, Little Lives Matter, and More Than Spots and Stripes 100,000 copies of this anti-critical race theory book were given away on Martin Luther King Day this year. The group will come to our great city to espouse their bigoted policies, he said in a statement. Have a news tip or press release? the parent suddenly decided to withdraw the complaint, A Censorship Language Primer: Book Censorship News, June 30, 2023, 70 Years of the Library Bill of Rights: Book Censorship News, June 23, 2023, How Much Have Book Bans Impacted Author Visits? In addition, theyre monitoring school boards for vacancies and being trained by groups with deep pockets to run for those very boards as a means of destroying the system from the inside. In their latest Year in Hate & Extremism report, the nonprofit civil rights advocacy group described Moms for Liberty as "one of the most recognized names in the anti-student inclusion movement." We believe these policies are harmful to youth., Philadelphia City Councilmember Kendra Brooks said, as a parent and grandparent with children in public schools, she is appalled at the attempts by Moms for Liberty to impose their extremist and hate-filled agenda on Pennsylvanias young people.. An Indiana chapter of Moms for Liberty drew national scrutiny after placing an Adolf Hitler quote on the front of its newsletter. She was also put off by hostility to her religious faith when she was active in progressive organizations. Trump took a similar tack, calling teachers and principals and other educators leftists and communists who hate God and are out to indoctrinate children and undermine the principles on which the country was founded. Moms for Liberty a misnomer if ever there was one think children should be "protected" from their own brains. Informal complaints could be anything from showing up to a board meeting to read offending passages out loud to a parent telling a librarian they are disgusted by a particular title being available. The organization's mission is to organize, educate and empower parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government. Part 1: The basic information. M oms for Liberty is a Florida-based pressure group which campaigns for book bans in US public schools, an issue at the heart of the national debate as Republican-run states seek to control or. Here are the Comics Moms for Liberty and Other Book Banners Call Inappropriate, and Why. In a recent presentation, New Jersey librarian Martha Hickson highlighted the weaknesses in ALAs template reconsideration policy. While the group has claimed to be non-partisan, from the beginning it has had close ties to the Republican party, especially in Florida, where it has won the backing of the rightwing governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. We are a grassroots organization dedicated to fighting for liberty and parental rights in education. Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan said Moms for Liberty was rightfully deemed an extremist group by Southern Poverty Law Center. Back in October, parents complained about a number of queer books in the school districts library. San Antonio Spurss coach has a prointellectual freedom message. Further groups, including conservative, Christian-aligned publishers like Brave Books and Heroes of Liberty, begin to donate these titles to schools and libraries while also spending scads of cash to rally more parents to request these titles for library and classroom collections (see: Moms of Libraries, as well as library workers noticing an uptick in requests for books from either of these so-called publishers these publishers are backed by dark money and money from major groups like the Heritage Foundation). Citizens for Renewing America is a right-wing advocacy group founded by Trumps former budgetary advisor Russell Vought. Theyre actively working against it, utilizing language meant to create confusion. The local chapter is enthusiastically participating. Sheila Armstrong chairs Moms for Libertys Philadelphia chapter. I broke the story of quiet censorship in the Kent, Washington, school district. Its heartbreaking to realize that I never taught many of my former students to read. Armstrong says she soured on Democrats after the local establishment attacked her for running against Clarke and allegedly forced her out of a job at the Register of Wills. Their hateful rhetoric has no place in our city, and no place in our society. How has asbestos in your Philadelphia school affected your educational experience? Find more news and stories of interest from the book world inBreaking in Books. Follow along with our weekly newsletter. The parents rights group has backed book bans and the removal of discussions of race and LGBTQ+ issues in schools. As weve seen over and over, because so many of these challenges are coming from social media pushes or through book lists distributed to right-wing groups and organizations, all thats needed to do to file a form is print the images that have been shared, point to obscenity laws (or something similar), and demand the book be removed. Book Riot reports that Moms for Liberty, a conservative group with 70,000 members nationwide has a new initiative titled Moms for Libraries which aims to have books exploring sexual identity and racial polarization removed from the shelves of local libraries. Its about lying and using money to keep lying. Moms For Libraries is a campaign from Moms for Liberty seeking to stock libraries with conservative, evangelical books. A healthy democracy encourages input from an array of individuals. Hes just about as anti-teacher as you can get and here he is in charge of public education. The group has had an undeniable impact: Just a few months after its founding in 2020, Moms for Liberty had gone from just another Facebook group of concerned parents to a national organization that was getting airtime on Fox News. Please refresh the page and/or try again. For more reading on how Moms for Liberty has earned this label from the SPLC, Kelly Jensen has been covering the group extensively, writing about everything from how the group lies about books, to how their influence has entered schools, and more. Also taking the stage will be KrisAnne Hall, an election denier and a member of the Oath Keepers militia who compared the U.S. Capitol police to Nazi S.S. troops. Moms for Liberty and 11 other groups were labeled by the SPLC as "anti-government extremist groups" in its annual 2022 Year In Hate and Extremism report. Moms for Liberty co-founders Justice and Descovich told VICE News in an emailed statement that the Hamilton County chapter "should not have quoted Hitler. This weeks call to action is to write to your representatives in support of students rights. Protesters outside the Moms For Liberty summit in Philadelphia handed out books that had been either banned or challenged by parents in states and districts around the country. It offers all of the basics, and gives those who wish to exercise their rights to contest material to do so. Kelly Jensen Mar 1, 2023. Moms for Liberty is a hate group. This 111 page guidebook, put together by Moms For Liberty in Polk County, reiterates that their quest to remove inappropriate books from schools is not about book banning. The fight is tremendously larger and much more well-funded than too many are willing to accept. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has labeled Moms for Liberty a hate group. education savings accounts available to all K-12 students, limits discussion of socio-political issues. The list includes the modern classic Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Khaled Hosseini's acclaimed novel The Kite Runner and Sally Rooney's bestselling Normal People. And thats what Moms for Liberty has been involved in over and over again.. There needs to be better management of it. But those books should come from the host of reputable publishers creating them, with editors and an entire team dedicated to accuracy and quality behind them, not organizations with money and an agenda. Who is supporting and indeed, helping fund bills like this school choice one in Iowa? Also speaking is Jacob Olivia, the Secretary of Education in Arkansas. You can see this play out in Waukee, Iowa, a Des Moines suburb. Chalkbeat Philadelphias reporters will be there to report the news you need. He had compiled a list of more than 70 books that discuss various transgender and LGBTQ topics, sometimes in clinical detail, which are in the middle and high school libraries. More by Meir Rinde. A slew of legislation across the U.S. only furthers this part of the agenda. Moms for Liberty is one of the most active extremist, anti-student groups that aims to "attack public education, ban books, and remove any curriculum that contains discussions of race, discrimination, and LGBTQ+ identities." 07 Jun 2023 17:15:15 This is not the PTA supporting students and teachers. [1] In December 2022, the "Moms for Liberty Miami" was one of the organizations of an anti-LGBT "Protect the Children" rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; the rally, which was attended by about 20 members of the Proud Boys, was promoted by right-wing outlets, such as Breitbart, OANN, and the avowedly antisemitic Goyim Defense League. The report also includes explicit attacks sex education, an issue that Moms for Liberty has rallied around. Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, a Tea Party activist who was elected to Congress in 2020, will be speaking at the conference as well. (Meir Rinde/Billy Penn), restrict students access to books on Black history, anti-government and conspiracy propagandist, Mother-daughter authors share book-banning experience amid M4L weekend summit, Ransomware attack on Econsult, major Philadelphia consulting firm, reportedly exposes employees personal info, Can you set off fireworks in Philadelphia? Gavin Downing is even. Requesters name, contact information, and if they are affiliated with any group. Ty Rushing does an excellent job highlighting more about this particular political action group. Moms for Liberty, founded in 2021, originally focused on opposition to pandemic-era restrictions in schools, but has since expanded to supporting parents' rights to ban books they deem . Kate Nazemi is a Central Bucks parent who co-founded Advocates for Inclusive Education, a nonprofit with the mission to protect our schools and the freedom of thought, expression and learning. In addition to the book bans, its board of education has also passed a policy that prohibits the display of pride flags and limits discussion of socio-political issues to the curriculum only, she said, which has a chilling effect on teachers. Its not. They should, especially if theyre serving their community. If those chapters are run by people that are prejudiced, homophobic, racist, or anything of that nature, thats whats coming out. Reactions from local elected officials and progressive groups have focused on the activities of Moms for Liberty chapters in Pennsylvania and other states. Moms For Liberty was founded in January 2021 claiming it will "organize, educate and empower parents to defend their parental rights." This advocacy has included calls for book bans, classroom censorship, and bans on teaching about slavery, race, racism and LGBTQ people and history.
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