Attorney General orders DOJ to defend parental rights, free speech in public schools

In a new directive issued Sept. 8, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called on federal, state, and local officials to safeguard the constitutional and parental rights of American families within the nation’s education system. 

Shared publicly Sept. 10 by Bondi, the memorandum — addressed to senior leaders at the Department of Justice and the FBI — reaffirms a commitment to protecting family rights amid what the attorney general described as increasing ideological influence in public education.

The memo criticized “state and local authorities” for introducing “radical gender and racial ideology into our public schools while suppressing dissenting viewpoints.” 

“Worse still, they have ignored, dismissed, and even retaliated against concerned parents who speak out against these morally and factually bankrupt ideologies and in defense of their own children,” the memo continued.

Citing the First Amendment, Bondi affirmed the right of citizens to “speak freely, assemble peaceably, and petition the government for redress of grievances — including at public school board meetings.” 

She added that such rights “do not yield to political trends or bureaucratic convenience” and warned that schools “cannot use authority as a pretext to silence dissent or punish parents for expressing their views.”

The memo also focused on the family’s role in a child’s moral and religious formation, asserting that “parents have a fundamental right to direct the moral and religious education of their children.” 

“Schools receiving public funds must ensure compliance with applicable federal protections,” the memo continued, “including mechanisms for parents to exempt their children from instruction that conflicts with the family’s sincerely held religious beliefs, such as content related to sexuality and gender ideology.”

Referencing the Supreme Court’s decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor the memo warned: “Compelled exposure to such materials over parental objections may violate federal protections. Any attempt to burden these rights will face scrutiny and action from the Department of Justice.”

Bondi also addressed reports of intimidation or threats against parents by local government actors. 

“Let me be clear: when school board members, administrators, and other government officials threaten law-abiding parents, they can and will be held accountable,” she said. “Conspiring to violate constitutional rights is a crime under federal law.”

The attorney general instructed the Civil Rights Division to monitor schools for violations of parental and First Amendment rights and directed US attorneys to coordinate with all levels of government to address credible threats and legal breaches targeting parents.

“We are restoring the rule of law and returning the federal government to the people it serves,” she wrote. “This Department stands with America’s parents.”

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