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13-06 Killing Title IX Protections in the Name of Woke | Plus Part 4: Choosing New Schools

By Dr Mark | February 11, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

Show 13-06 Summary: This week on I Spy we continue our mini-series on parents rights in education. We are looking at what the Biden administration’s abandonment of Title IX means (it used to mean protection and equal access for girls and women) and what real school choice looks like — when parents make the choice to find a better school. What are the options and how to decide? How to even know if it’s the school or the child? And what about funding — should taxpayer dollars really go to private schools? And is it protected from frivolous parents? Are schools accountable top meet competency and proficiency standards? Maybe if the public schools had such standards, parents wouldn’t be looking elsewhere…

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The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: February 11th & 12th, 2023 | Guests: Kimberly Hermann & Marc Thielman

This Week – So Much for Equality

If there’s one thing elected democrats say, it’s that they want equality. But if there’s one thing they do it’s remove equality. Which is why they are all for racial discrimination in the name of equality. Like affirmative action. Where, in their “logic” it makes sense to discriminate against Whites in favor of other races. Which is a bit like saying a little slavery is okay, as long as it’s done to the right kind of people.

Hint to democrats: discrimination is discrimination.

But maybe this mindset explains why the Biden administration thinks removing protections for girls and women in education is a good thing.

The Biden Administration: Killing Title IX

Title IX was intended to give girls and women an equal footing in education. Prior to Title IX, schools could discriminate against women and, perhaps most famously, not fund women’s sports. But now, the Biden administration’s new “guidance” would remove such protections. How? By doing away with the concept of women and girls. And making anyone who identifies as a woman a woman in their view.

Basically, if there are no women as a distinct entity, there are no women to protect.

To try to make sense of the nonsense, we welcome Kimberly Hermann. She is the chief legal counsel for Southeastern Legal Foundation and they have file da brief in support of states pushing back against the Biden administration’s guidance.

Visit SLFLiberty.org to find out more about the great work Southeastern Legal Foundation is doing to defend your constitutional rights. You can even submit a case they might be interested in.

Kimberly walks us through what Title IX is, what it was intended to do, and why Title IX is so important to defend. You’ll also hear how the courts, including appellate courts, are, in fact, defending the notion that there are two sexes. Which is extremely encouraging.

But can you believe this? Has society gone so far down the woke toilet that we will end up needing the Supreme Court to tell the rest of society what a woman is?

Yikes.

Parents’ Rights Part 4: Choosing a New School

This week, we also continue our mini-series on parents rights in education. Last week, we discussed the Real School Choice movement. So far, five states have already adopted real school choice. (This means parents can choose whichever school they want to send their kids and the education dollars attached to that child.) And there are nearly a dozen more close to adopting real school choice and over two dozen in total that have at least some form of legislation on the table.

This is not only a win for parents, it’s a win for education itself. And it’s thanks to exercising free market principles.

Think about it. Parents (consumers) can choose to spend the education dollars how they want and where they want. Funding students not systems, means that the school systems must become competitive to attract consumers (parents). Better up your game or you lose out.

That is what real school choice is all about. Give parents the power, not bureaucrats.

Find out more about Oregon’s real school choice battle. If parents can’t get it in the legislature, they are prepared to go with a ballot initiative

But if you’re a parent and you exercise your school choice, how do you choose a school? How do you know it’s the school and not your child? What are the signs you should be looking for? And with the dozen-plus types of other schools out there, how do you find the right one for your child.

We talk with Marc Thielman, the former superintendent at the Alsea School district, to answer those questions and more.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Southeastern Legal Foundation’s website is SLFLiberty.org
Read SLF’s press release on their brief in support of states defending Title IX
Marc Thielman’s real school choice website is EducationFreedomforOregon.com

More Info on Title IX

Title IX: 50 years later (American Psychological Association, June 28, 2022)
- “Changes to Title IX regulations dispensed by the U.S. Department of Education in 2020 removed the mandatory reporting requirement. These Trump-era changes also narrowed the definition of sexual harassment, excluded off-campus assaults from the law’s protections, and made a series of other changes that left some Title IX offices scrambling to update their institution’s procedures”
Title IX’s Positive Impact on Education Life BEFORE Title IX (Vector Solutions, No Date)
10 Facts Everyone Should Know About Title IX (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Aug 23, 2017)

More Info on Choosing a School

The Ultimate Guide to 13 Different Types of Schools Across America (Rasmussen University, Jul 4, 2016)
Types of School Choice programs (via EdChoice)
Oregon School Choice Roadmap (via School Choice Week, January 19, 2023)
- Includes information on the types of schools available in Oregon
- Also has a “find schools near me” search function by zip code
Find a great school for your child (via Great Schools.org)
Choosing a School: Types of Schools (US Dept of Education, via Reading Rockets, no date)
Oregon Department of Education
School Choice for Oregon
The League of Oregon Charter Schools
Oregon Home Education Network
Oregon Christian Home Education Association Network
Just the FAQs: School Choice (via Center for Education Reform)
- “Some call it “school choice”, but it’s really about educational opportunity– and giving parents the power to choose the schools their children attend.”

Real School Choice - the Way out for Parents

13-05 The Way Out: Real School Choice | Parents Rights Part 3

By Dr Mark | February 4, 2023 | Comments 1 comment

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Show 13-05 Summary: Part 3 of our mini-series on parental rights. Week 1 was a general overview or parental rights and a look at what parents and kids are facing. Last week was a look at the legal side of things, especially if push comes to lawsuit. This week, it’s a look at the way out: real school choice. Where the dollars pegged to a child, follows them and parents can use those public funds to spend on whichever school best suits their child. Competition. It’s a wonderful thing!

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: February 4th & 5th, 2023 | Guest: Robert Enlow

This Week – Real School Choice

The answer to most problems with Big Government is simple: take money away from big government and apply free-market principles.

Don’t miss the other two parts our series on parents’ rights: Part 1 (overview of parents rights) and Part 2 (legal aspects and, if necessary, lawsuits)

And when it comes to bad education systems, this means real school choice. Where bad schools in bad education systems either improve to good schools. Or they lose the money when they lose a child whose parents take their child elsewhere.

In the past, this option was only available to the rich. Who were still paying school taxes and paying to put their child in a better school.

But right now, thanks to parents staying home due to covid lockdowns—who got to see just how bad things really were thanks to virtual classrooms—there is a movement sweeping the nation. And it’s real school choice.

Real School Choice Defined

Real school choice. What is it? It’s when parents can decide how and where to spend the dollars “pegged” to their child on a school of their choice.

Real school choice happens like this: Education systems get a pot of money every year. Think of that as the “education bank.” These monies are drawn from different sources. Broadly speaking, federal, state, and local taxes all pay into the bank. States, the bank’s administrators, determine how many students there are and determine a per-student amount. A percentage of that per-student spending is pegged to the student as the parents decide where to spend it. Usually, this takes the form of an education savings account, commonly referred to as an”ESA.”

How much of that percentage, where, and how the funds can be spent vary from state to state.

And, unlike what this Kansas State Board of Education member thinks, parents can not use the funds to buy latte machines. (Although it makes one wonder how many schools have used their funds to put latte machines in teachers’ lounges…)

For more information on what school choice is, see this definition from one of the nation’s leading school choice organizations, EdChoice.

Our Guest: Robert Enlow of EdChoice

Speaking of which, this week we welcome Robert Enlow, the President and CEO of EdChoice, to talk to us about this nationwide movement. As of this writing, five states (with three in just the last two weeks) have adopted real school choice. And at least 28 more — including Oregon! — have introduced legislation for some form of school choice.

This didn’t happen over night.

Be sure to visit EdChoice.org. They have research, polls, tools, trainings and more to make universal school choice happen in your state!

No surprise, Milton Friedman, who advised President Reagan to get America’s economy back on track (which mainly boiled down to getting government out of the way), came up with the idea. Now, some 50 years after he came up with the idea of a school voucher system, we’re seeing it take hold.

Real School Choice in Oregon

Oregon has been at the bottom of education for decades. Oregon even removed competency requirements for graduation under former governor Kate Brown. So, not surprisingly, even here in Oregon, parents are fed up. We wanted to talk to experts who have actually made this happen in other states, who’ve been part of successful campaigns to get school choice. So we turned to EdChoice to talk about how these states made it happen. How did they win? And we talked about the arguments for and against school choice so you’ll know what to face.

As Robert Enlow said — echoing the mission of I Spy Radio — if want to be a successful advocate, you need to be an informed one.

If you want real school choice in Oregon, or in your state, don’t miss this show!

Want more information and insight on school choice here in Oregon? Check out these past I Spy Radio shows.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Our guest’s organization is EdChoice. They are the nation’s leading organization for and advocate of school choice. They have research, tools, polls, even training if you want to help bring school choice to your state! Find them at EdChoice.org
Arizona leads on school choice. Should Utah follow suit? (Deseret News, Jan 16, 2023)
Achieving the potential of school choice (The Gazette, Colorado, Jan 17, 2023)
“Public education funding without boundaries: How to get K-12 dollars to follow open enrollment students” (Reason Foundation, Jan 24, 2023)
- How to ensure state and local education funds flow seamlessly across district boundaries.
- States are increasingly enacting open enrollment policies that give students options across school district boundaries. But this is only half the equation. Policymakers must also ensure that education dollars follow the child to the school of their choice, a concept referred to as funding portability.
- Download the full policy brief: Public Education Funding Without Boundaries (PDF)
Iowa Gov Kim Reynolds signs historic school choice bill: ‘We will fund students not systems’ (Fox News, Jan 24, 2023)
‘Fund Students, Not Systems’ with Universal School Choice” (Townhall.com, Jan 23, 2023).
Legislators in 28 states have introduced bills to fund students instead of systems this year. (Corey DeAngelis, Twitter, Feb 1, 2023)
25 million eCommerce companies in the world – Myth or Fact? Dissecting the $4.9 Trillion industry with 2022 data. (Pipecandy.com, March 2022)

Oregon Centric

Kotek proposes spending $765M (Register Guard, Feb 1, 2023) Increases school budget
Portland School District announces hiring freeze due to dwindling enrollment (Pamplin Media Feb 1, 2023)
- Portland lost 3,000 students from 2020 to 2022. The district said its “dramatic, unprecedented enrollment decline” isn’t over. It expects to lose about 500 more students next year. But despite fewer students, “Superintendent Guerrero, along with leaders from other Oregon districts, are calling on state leaders to pour more money into public school funding. ”
See our previous shows on this topic, including the referendum movement for 2024 if the legislature ignores Oregon parents. These show pages have additional links and info.
Parents Rights in Education (Oregon and other state chapters)

13-04 Have Democrats Learned their Lesson? Plus Parents Rights Part 2

By Dr Mark | January 28, 2023 | Comments 3 comments

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Show 13-04 Summary: This week, the legislative session in now in session. What is this going to mean for every day Oregonians? The democrats lost seats in the house and senate. Will they be a little more contrite and easier to work with? Or will it be damn the voters, full steamrollers ahead? Then as a followup to last week’s show, we bring on a legal expert to help parents who may be butting heads with their child’s schools. Especially if push comes to lawsuit. What rights do parents have? It turns out, the schools may be putting on a facade.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: January 28th & 29th, 2023 | Guests: Sen. Dennis Linthicum & Ernie Trakas

This Week – Now in Session & Parental Rights II

The legislative session in now in session. What is this going to mean for every day Oregonians? The democrats lost seats in the house and senate. Will they be a little more contrite and easier to work with? Or will it be damn the voters, full steamrollers ahead?

We welcome Senator Dennis Linthicum on to discuss what it will be like now that there are fewer democrats in the legislature. Three fewer in the house, and one fewer in the senate. And very nearly three fewer in the senate, which would have made a 15-15 tie. Have democrats leaned anything from the election? Or is it full steamrollers ahead.

Tune in to find out the democrats plans and schemes as the republicans try to move common sense bills forward.

Are you getting Senator Linthicum’s terrific newsletter? If not, send an email to Dennis@electdennis.com and sign up!

Parents Rights: The Legal Side

It’s no longer a secret: woke teachers are pulling out all the stops to indoctrinate kids. They’re no longer hiding it. Talking even to very young children about adult matters and sex and their political ideology. Worse, woke teachers and school administrators will “protect” a child from their own parents’ views and beliefs. And even far worse, convince children they have been born into a “the wrong body” and offer them puberty-blocking drugs or help them with gender reassignment surgery.

As a followup to last week’s show, we bring Ernie Trakas, the Senior Litigation Counsel for the Child & Parental Rights Campaign. He is a legal expert helping parents who may be at the butting heads stage (or worse) with their child’s schools. What rights do parents have?

Well, if you listen to the schools, they’ll tell you the law is on their side. Especially Title IX. But, as with so much of what the Left does, it turns out the schools are putting on a facade. tune in to hear what the Supreme Court of the United States has to say. And why it will be the place where woke goes to die.

Parental Rights: What to do if Push comes to Lawsuit

If push comes to shove, and schools continue to push don’t wait. Contact a public-interest law firm like Child and Parental Rights Campaign or one similar. Don’t wait. The longer the problem is allowed to continue it will get worse. Don’t give them your silent consent by not putting a stop to it the longer it goes on.

Do you need legal help to defend your parental rights? Head to Child & Parent Rights Campaign for resources or to just talk to someone. Don’t worry when you can act! But don’t wait.

In the meantime, document everything. Keep emails. Write things down. Phone calls — when, and what was discussed. And then send them an email recapping the conversation. You need to create a paper trail. Think of it as an evidence trail.

And the added benefit is that by emailing them and getting things in writing, you send the signal that you’re a professional and know what to do. Which means they will take you seriously.

But if you don’t know what to do, get in touch right now with an attorney.

Did you miss last weeks show? It was all about parents rights: 13-03 Are Parents an Endangered Species? — Parents Rights in Education

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Tolling part of I-205 expected to net ODOT $16-26 million per year (KGW, Jan 23, 2023)
Ernie Trakas’s organization is the Child & Parent Rights Campaign
Things you can do hopefully to prevent needing to go to court to defend your rights, see their advocacy page
If you need help, do not wait! Contact the Child and Parental Rights Campaign.
Parent Know Your Rights Guides: find parent rights resources and guides by state from the American Bar Association
If things aren’t quite at the stage you need legal help, or you don’t know where to turn, be sure to check out the many resources at Parents Rights in Education. Look for the resources at the top of the page. Federal law, state chapters, and how to deal with school boards.
- If you suspect there are problems or already have them — be sure to contact them! They want to help and can guide you through the issues. Don’t feel overwhelmed. Feel empowered!
- Parents Rights in Education also has a network of partners. legal, support, and more. You’re not alone!

Parents Rights in Education I Spy Radio Show Interview. What can parents do? What rights DO they have?

13-03 Are Parents an Endangered Species? — Parents Rights in Education

By Dr Mark | January 21, 2023 | Comments 3 comments

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Show 13-03 Summary: There is a constant attack on kids these days. Especially in our public schools. But what can parents actually do? What rights do they have? And how is the system finding ways to get around and even take away those rights? This week it’s all about parents rights in education. We talk with Suzanne Gallagher, the director of Parents Rights in Education, about the attacks on kids and the very real dangers parents face when they try to exercise their rights. And what parents can do if they suspect there are problems in their child’s school.

The I Spy Radio Show airs weekends, six different times, on seven different stations. Listen anywhere through the stations’ live streams! Check out when, where, and how to listen to the I Spy Radio Show. Podcast available Mondays after the show airs on out network of stations.

Original Air Dates: January 21st & 22nd, 2023 | Guest: Suzanne Gallagher

This Week – Parents Rights in Education

You can’t be on social media these days and not see attacks on our kids in public schools. We’re not talking physical attacks. Although there are plenty of those too. We’re talking about adult teachers pushing adult issues on kids. Trying to recruit and indoctrinate and normalize their own sexual beliefs by pushing them on kids. It’s everywhere. Well, everywhere except the mainstream media, which seems to want to do all they can to hide it.

Although “the media” is more than giddy to attack parents who want to stop it. As is the federal government as Merrick Garland designated parents who stood up to the woke agenda, “domestic terrorists.”

Yet one more reason not to listen to the mainstream media. And instead listen to alternative, independent media. (Like I Spy Radio, of course. And if you can’t listen live, find it on your favorite podcast platform.)

Parents Rights are Under Attack

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled repeatedly that parents are the highest authority and ultimate arbiter when it comes to their kids. And how they should be raised and what they should be taught. But parents rights are under attack more than ever. Especially if a parent dares to stand up, speak up, or stand against the woke agenda and ideology.

Tune in this week to hear just how bad things are. We know about teachers and even school counselors pushing sexual orientation, transgender, and more at kids. We talk real cases and examples of what parents are facing as some school administrators and teachers see their woke agenda having a higher priority than a parent’s rights to raise their children as they see fit. And some are threatened with having their kids taken away if they disagree.

We talk with Suzanne Gallagher, the director of Parents Rights in Education about the battlefield for children, who the main enemies are, and how we got here. And what parents can do to stand up and fight back.

Be sure to check out the tools and resources for parents in the Links & Additional Info Section below. And catch Suzanne’s Parents Rights in Education podcast to stay up to date and challenges facing parents to protect their kids

It’s been astounding to see how quickly the woke perverts in the classroom have exposed themselves. These are kids. Kids! That means not adults. Leave them alone. Focus on education. And when they become adults, they can deal with adult issues. Until then, just leave them alone.

Tune in and find out about your parents rights in education. And the resources you need if it comes to it.

And don’t hoard the information. Share this page and its links and info with the other parents in your life.

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Suzanne’s organization is Parents Rights in Education. Look for the resources at the top of the page. Federal law, state chapters, and how to deal with school boards.
If you suspect there are problems or already have them — be sure to contact them! They want to help and can guide you through the issues. Don’t feel overwhelmed. Feel empowered!
Parents Rights in Education also has a network of partners. If you need legal help, don’t wait.
Don’t need help now? Or maybe you’ve experienced these problems in your own life? And want to help other parents avoid them? Support the cause with a donation. Even just $12 a month would be awesome.
Concerned about parents rights? Especially parents rights in education? Follow along and stay up to date with the issues on Suzanne’s podcast