Town Hall Highlights Far-Right Push to Reshape Public Education

By Santa Clarita Star Staff

03/14/2025 at 11:30 AM

 

At a right-wing town hall event on Zoom, Karen Frost, Chair of Los Angeles County Moms for Liberty, told Republican activists that opponents of Moms for Liberty are "antithetical to core American values" and accused PTAs in Santa Clarita Valley of being "captured" by progressive parents pushing for inclusive policies. The event also featured Jessica Tapia, a former teacher fired for refusing to comply with California law protecting LGBTQIA+ children, who defended her stance as a matter of religious conviction.

 

 

LOS ANGELES (March 13, 2025) — A conservative-led Zoom town hall meeting, titled "Town Hall Central," convened Wednesday night, featuring discussions on education policies, transgender rights, and parental advocacy. The event, hosted by attorney Greg Brittain, included remarks from Karen Frost, President of Los Angeles County Moms for Liberty, and Jessica Tapia, a former Riverside County teacher who was fired for refusing to comply with school district policies regarding transgender students.

 

Brittain opened the discussion by referencing two executive orders former President Donald Trump issued, which he said could impact federal education policies. "The federal government is under new management. Thank God," Brittain said. "Donald Trump has issued two executive orders potentially helpful in this regard."

 

He highlighted one order addressing transgender participation in sports, which he said has already led to enforcement actions. "They've moved to cut off federal funds to schools in Maine over the issue," Brittain said. "So maybe you can get them to cut off federal funds to the district, which might get their attention."

The second order, Brittain explained, aims to end what he called "radical indoctrination" in K-12 education. While not yet actionable, he said federal agencies have 90 days to develop policies to implement it.

 

Opponents of Trump's executive orders have pointed out they may not be enforceable under the U.S. Constitution. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) emphasizes that Donald Trump's recent executive orders targeting transgender students and school policies have severe limitations and are not enforceable against local school districts. While Brittain praised these orders, he also acknowledged that one banning so-called "radical indoctrination" is "not operational, it's not actionable." HRC explains that executive orders cannot unilaterally change education policy, as local and state laws govern public schools, and cutting off federal funding requires congressional approval and legal challenges. While these orders may contribute to political posturing and debate, they do not override state and local control of schools, and any actual policy change requires Congressional approval.

 

Moms for Liberty and the Conservative Takeover of Santa Clarita Valley School Boards

Karen Frost, Chair of Los Angeles County Moms for Liberty, emphasized the organization's efforts to support conservative school board candidates and elected officials. She highlighted the work of conservative trustees in her district, who she said have been "working very diligently for two years" on policies advocating for parental rights, female athletes, and traditional values, such as displaying the American and California flags in classrooms.

 

Frost expressed optimism about the progress being made, particularly now that conservative trustees hold what she called "a supermajority" on the Wiliam S. Hart High School District board. "They are being brilliant and very pragmatic," she said, noting that the trustees are working with a new superintendent to implement these policies. "I'm very, very optimistic that within the next, before the middle of the next school year, we're gonna see a lot of things that we've really been advocating for for a long time."

 

Frost also addressed the challenges of mobilizing parents to attend school board meetings, a key focus of Moms for Liberty's efforts. "It is a hard sell," she said, recalling how attendance surged during the pandemic but declined afterward. She praised the hybrid format of in-person and Zoom meetings, which she said helps maintain an online presence even when in-person turnout is low.

 

Frost stressed the importance of parents reporting issues like the social transitioning of minors without parental consent or books deemed "inappropriate" by Moms for Liberty in school libraries. She cited a recent case where a parent feared retaliation for reporting what she alleged was inappropriate behavior by a school employee. "If we can get more parents to step forward, there can be anonymity in numbers," Frost said, quoting a school board trustee. "When we get enough [reports], we need to put it out to the school district and present it in a way that protects the identity of the families."

 

Frost voiced support for removing certain books in school libraries, despite stating that she believes "every book has the right to exist." Her comments come amid a nationwide push to remove books featuring LGBTQIA+ characters, discussions of race, and other marginalized perspectives from public schools, a movement primarily driven by groups like Moms for Liberty.

Moms for Liberty has played a central role in advocating for book bans across the country, often under the pretense of "curating" school library collections. The group has pushed to remove books about civil rights leaders, LGBTQIA+ experiences, and racial justice activists from classrooms and libraries. Their influence has led to widespread book bans, particularly in states like Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania, where school boards have faced pressure to comply with their demands.

 

In 2024, controversy erupted at Mountainview Elementary School's Literati book fair after three parents—believed to be associated with Moms for Liberty—removed two books without consulting school administrators or book fair organizers. The books in question were "The Insiders" by Mark Oshiro, a novel about a gay middle schooler navigating a new school, and "Fighting Words" by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, which tells the story of two sisters in foster care coping with abuse. The removals, which were later reversed, have intensified local debates over book bans and censorship in schools.

 

Frost acknowledged the reluctance of many parents to speak out, particularly in liberal-leaning areas like Los Angeles County. "People are just afraid to step out of their comfort zones and say, I stand up and I believe this, and not fear being canceled," she said. However, she expressed confidence in the growing influence of groups like Moms for Liberty, Moms for America, and Save Girls Sports Association.

 

"California is going to dig in its heels and fight [federal policies] kicking and screaming," Frost said. "We need to guide and mentor the parents that are willing to accept these changes and support them in getting those changes to happen here in California."

 

Frost also highlighted the collaboration between conservative school boards across Southern California, including those in Chino Hills and Temecula. She praised the efforts of school bord members like like Sonja Shaw in Chino Valley and emphasized the importance of sharing best practices. "They are working with each other to find out, what does the law say? How can we stay compliant with the law but still advocate for families and parental rights?" she said.

 

Frost recalled the beginning of the LA County Moms for Liberty chapter, tracing the group's origins to her frustration during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she advocated for her son with Down syndrome and autism to return to in-person learning. Disappointed by what she described as dismissive and adversarial responses from school board officials, Frost and a small group of parents in Santa Clarita formed the Committee to Support Parental Engagement. That effort later merged with Moms for Liberty, a national organization founded in 2021 by two former school board trustees in Florida. Frost said the group provided her with a larger platform and resources to amplify her advocacy. However, she acknowledged facing strong opposition, including from local PTAs in Santa Clarita Valley, which she said have been "captured" by progressive parents advocating for policies Moms for Liberty opposes, such as inclusive library books and support for LGBTQ+ students. Frost described these PTA members as some of the group's "strongest adversaries."

"We do have a very vocal, it's a small but very vocal group here in Santa Clarita that, you know, doxes us, follows us, shows up at school board meetings, can rally the troops," Frost said. "So we do have that element here in Santa Clarita too. They are, strong proponents of, I don't know, everything that's antithetical to the core American values and seem to just want to destroy rather than build anything up. So yeah, we do have that here in Santa Clarita. You know, within my chapter, we have people that just, you know, kind of keep an ear on what they are saying and what they're doing."

 

Moms for Liberty has drawn national scrutiny and controversy. The group has faced criticism for its ties to far-right organizations, including the Proud Boys, a designated hate group known for promoting white nationalism and participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. In one instance, two Kentucky chapter chairs were removed from their positions after posing for photos with Proud Boys members at a rally. Moms for Liberty condemned the incident in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying it "repudiates hate and violence" and is not affiliated with the Proud Boys. The organization has grown rapidly since its founding, endorsing school board candidates and advocating against discussions of race and LGBTQ+ issues in classrooms. Its efforts have sparked significant backlash, with the Southern Poverty Law Center labeling it an anti-government extremist group, a designation Moms for Liberty disputes.

"I like to say that we were over the target because they came out really, really strong against us, calling us every term and every, you know, controversial thing that you could possibly think," Frost said about local opposition to the group in Santa Clarita. I thought we must be really doing something well for them to be so reactionary against a group of moms that are just fighting for their kids."

 

Fired for Refusal: How Jessica Tapia Clashed with LGBTQ+ Protections

Jessica Tapia, a former physical education teacher, shared her experience of being fired after refusing to adhere to her school district's policies and California law on transgender students. Tapia said she was asked to use students' preferred pronouns, withhold information from parents about their children's gender identity, and refrain from posting about her Christian conservative views on social media.

 

"I specifically asked my superiors, are you asking me to lie to parents, potentially lie to parents? And they said yes, for students' safety and privacy," Tapia said. She described feeling "attempted to be controlled" and said the directives conflicted with her religious beliefs.

 

Tapia took a three-month stress leave to reflect on her decision. "At the end of those three months, [God] had made it very clear that I was to speak the truth," she said. She informed her district she would not comply with the policies, citing her Christian faith.

During a subsequent religious accommodation meeting, Tapia said she was questioned about her beliefs and informed her district she would not allow boys in the girls' locker room, a stance she later learned violated California law AB 1266. "I didn't even know it was a law at that time," she said.

 

Tapia, a tenured teacher with six years of experience, was terminated shortly after. "I was really just giving back to my community and my students by returning and teaching," she said. "And then it suddenly came to an end."

 

Tapia praised Rebecca Friedrichs, a prominent opponent of teachers' unions, during her remarks. Friedrichs, whose 2016 Supreme Court case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association sought to end mandatory union fees for public-sector employees, has become a symbol of resistance against teachers' unions for many conservatives.

 

"I just don't think that public education is one size fits all, especially when it comes to little boys," Tapia said. "And if you have, I'm sure many of you have heard of Rebecca Friedrichs. Thanks to her court case, teachers no longer have to opt into the corrupt teachers union. We have the freedom to not be a part of that democratic union that pushes and supports woke gender ideologies in the schools. We can choose alternative unions like Christian teachers unions and so forth."

 

Tapia and Friedrichs have shared a platform before. In September 2023, both spoke at the "Rally for Parental Rights" in Los Angeles, an event organized by far-right groups and featuring Karen Frost, who debuted the Los Angeles County chapter of Moms for Liberty at the rally. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled Moms for Liberty a hate group.

At the rally, Friedrichs criticized teachers' unions in stark terms, calling them the "education mafia." "The people behind the corruption in the legislature? It's the unions," she said. "The people behind the nasty pornographic books in your school? It's the unions. The people behind Critical Race Theory? It's the unions. The people destroying America? It's the unions, and the teachers' unions are the worst of them all."

 

Friedrichs' case, which challenged mandatory union fees for public-sector employees, ultimately resulted in a deadlocked Supreme Court following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. However, the issue was revisited in the 2018 case Janus v. AFSCME, which ruled that public-sector employees could not be forced to pay union fees as a condition of employment.

 

The conservative-led town hall highlighted the deepening divide over LGBTQIA+ rights and the role of conservative advocacy groups like Moms for Liberty in shaping education policy in Los Angeles County public schools. The event also underscored the broader national debate over the influence of far-right groups, the push for book bans, and the tension between state laws and federal policies. As these battles continue to play out in school boards and courtrooms, the clash over education policy remains a flashpoint in the culture wars, with profound implications for students, parents, and educators alike.