(In October 2023, the San Jose City Council threatened to publicly censure Informed Parents for standing on the public sidewalk in front of Silicon Valley public schools passing out information telling parents how to OPT OUT their children from non-legally mandated Comprehensive Sexuality Education, intrusive surveys, and non-parent approved counseling by school district personnel and/or third party organizations (read: Planned Parenthood).
Two Councilmembers lead the move to censure…Pam Foley and Omar Torres. We pointed out the blatantly false information contained in the Resolution. (However, they were able to spell our name correctly.)
After threatening legal action, the Resolution of Censure was ultimately adopted, but not until all reference to Informed Parents and other parents’ rights organizations was removed.)
Friends,
Sometimes, life's lessons are right in front of us.
There is so much to be learned--for all of us--from the fall of councilmember Omar Torres. He is the District 3 San Jose politician who resigned from public office and has been arrested amid allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct with a child as young as four years old. Sources: The Mercury News (subscribers only); San Jose Spotlight article 1; San Jose Spotlight article 2
The lessons are especially relevant for all of us in the Parent Choice community, and for Informed Parents, specifically. That's because Informed Parents was falsely and unfairly accused by Torres and other councilmembers of bias and prejudice as part of the San Jose Council's bizarre and unfounded repudiation of our movement and community last year. Original resolution text
While we hope that justice is served and that Torres finds the help he so obviously needs, it's vital for all of us--San Jose City Council (a body upon which I was honored to serve in the ‘70’s), advocacy groups, and our Parents' Choice community--to acknowledge the bigger ethical and political truths that derive from this sad situation. I see three major points for us all to remember.
First, individuals with bad intentions can hide wholly inappropriate--and even dangerous--ideas behind statements of equity and diversity. This, in many ways, is the crux of the Parent's Choice movement, and why we believe it's so important for parents to be able to opt their children out of curriculum that feels inappropriate to them.
Let me be clear: I am not suggesting that Torres is somehow a symbol for any movement, identity, or lifestyle. But I am simply stating the simple fact that Torres used--and continues to use-- his intersectional identity bona fides to camouflage--at best--wholly inappropriate sentiments regarding children. This camouflage highlights the legitimate and fair-minded reasons why some parents may not be comfortable with pornographic books in the classroom or school library. After all--and for good reason--we don’t allow Hustler and Penthouse in our school libraries.
For the same reasons, we should allow parents to opt out of lesson plans (straight or gay) which they deem inappropriate. It should be no cause for alarm if parents choose to have their children skip Drag Queen Storytime for their preschoolers and elementary grade children.
The facts speak for themselves: While some woke parents and educators wish to celebrate ‘inclusivity’, studies have shown that this exposure is merely confusing for young minds. And those parents and their supporters should not be shouted down and cancelled--and certainly not by untrained local government officials--for expressing and acting on those deeply held and sincere beliefs that are backed up by common sense and legitimate research.
Conclusion: Parents who were concerned about some of the ‘how to’ pleasure-based Sex Ed curriculum being presented to our children in public schools should feel validated, and the harsh criticism we received has been wholly debunked. California State Law gives parents the right to OPT OUT their children from material they are uncomfortable with and should not be dissuaded for expressing that discomfort and exercising their right to remove their child from that environment..
Second, the Parents Choice movement needs to stand firm protecting parent's rights in education. Politicians may choose to ignore it, but parental rights are baked into California law. The Omar Torres debacle reminds us that we need to guard those rights jealously, as those who try to chip away at those rights may have inclinations wholly contrary to our children's best interest. We should be unmoved by false smears and calumny, and calmly and good-naturedly go about our business of building the right educational environment for our children.
Conclusion: Stand firm for parents' rights. Don't be swayed by bullying...no matter the source.
Third, the Silicon Valley political class has revealed itself as a weak defender of Parent's Rights, and reflexively supportive of chosen, favored special interests.
There can be little doubt that the power structures in our valley--from big special interest groups (Labor, Democratic Party central committee, a former San Jose mayor, media, business groups) to leading politicians and media--were big enablers of Torres' political rise. And while much of this support derived from Torres' reliably far-left position on issues, his intersectional bona fides certainly didn't hurt. I am not suggesting that his supporters should've known the full extent of Torres' troubles (even though there were plenty of red flags suggesting dangerous proclivities). But I am suggesting that these power brokers' knee-jerk rejection of any community voice that challenges Woke orthodoxies does not serve our community well, as it leads them into allying themselves with positions well outside of local government's responsibility and championed by individuals that have no business being in positions of power.
Conclusion: The San Jose City Council should learn from this experience that they will be well advised to stick to the core business of cities: Public Safety, Land Use and Planning, Provision of Neighborhood services such as Libraries and Parks, and Maintenance of Public infrastructure such as roads and public buildings. And not meddling in issues well outside their ken, which they are clearly incapable of viewing impartially.
We sincerely hope that Councilmember Torres can find the right help and assistance to find his way back to what we are sure can be his true "authentic self," and can get past the demons that have clearly held sway over him.
But Omar Torres is just a moment in time in our movement. Ultimately, he is just a reminder that the merits of our arguments, our concerns for our children, and the fairness of our cause will win out in the end. We need to remain steady, consistent, fair-minded, patient, and without vitriol--we can build a more ethical curriculum model for our children that works for everyone, not just special interests and will o' the wisp political movements.
Larry Pegram
CEO Informed Parents
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