The conservative watchdog group American First Legal (AFL) has declared a noteworthy “victory” in a New Jersey school district after the U.S. Department of Education found the school system acted unlawfully by failing to offer an opt-out option for “equity” and “diversity” surveys distributed to students.
Senior advisor Ian Prior shared with Fox News Digital that “when we discuss topics like gender identity and other sensitive issues, the underlying concern is how these are being used almost as educational tools to promote these concepts to children.” He emphasized that it raises dual concerns about both the purpose of data collection from these surveys and how they may normalize issues that parents and students might oppose.
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Students and a classroom. (iStock/Getty)
In Cedar Grove, New Jersey, the local school district distributed surveys covering sensitive subjects such as religion, family income, and gender identity without offering parents the option to opt out. Following complaints from parents to both state and federal education departments in mid-2021, the New Jersey Board of Education ruled that the district had breached state law.
Although the U.S. Department of Education was slow to respond, AFL took matters into their own hands by filing a lawsuit in 2023 to prompt federal investigation.
Prior elaborated that AFL developed a “parent toolkit” in early 2022 to educate parents about the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), a federal law from the 1970s aimed at ensuring parental access to information regarding their children’s education, which has often been neglected.
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Parent Rally (Courtesy of Becket)
Eventually, the Department of Education launched an investigation and found that Cedar Grove had indeed violated the PPRA, compelling the district to adhere to the law and supply the necessary documentation by September.
Prior stated, “This incident illustrates the power of a law that has largely remained unutilized for decades, providing a means for parents to assert their rights against school systems that attempt to conceal information.” He added that it is promising that their efforts from early 2022 have raised awareness among parents nationwide regarding their rights.
The Cedar Grove School District was unavailable for comment.
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Parent Rally (Courtesy of Becket)
Parental rights continue to ignite intense debates amid cultural conflicts. Recently, a conservative think tank initiated an eight-figure campaign to publicize Vice President Kamala Harris’ “extremist” record on parental rights and transgender issues.
Simultaneously, California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom enacted a contentious law prohibiting schools from forcing notifications to parents regarding their child’s use of pronouns or gender identities that differ from their biological sex.
Contributions to this report were provided by Fox News Digital’s Kendall Tietz.
