Adam Guillette Urges Parents to Investigate What Schools Are Teaching
September 5, 2026
Parents Must Be Their Own School Investigators
Adam Guillette | Sep 05, 2026
After investigating more than 250 school districts in Republican states, I arrived at an unavoidable conclusion: no family should send their child to a traditional public school.
Unfortunately, that is not a feasible option for many families, which is why parents must be proactive, informed, and relentlessly observant about what is happening in their child’s school.
Even in conservative areas, parents must adopt the Reagan mantra: “Trust, but verify.” That point was driven home this week when the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it is suing Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools for alleged ‘secret gender transitions’ that kept parents in the dark. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon says it’s the “first of many” suits. I believe her, and parents should take notice.
While the DOJ does its work, parents must do their own — and there is plenty they can do to protect their children.
The first step — after assuming a healthy distrust for their school system — is for parents to know their rights.
In Mahmoud v. Taylor, the U.S. Supreme Court just affirmed the right of parents to opt their child out of instruction if it goes against their beliefs. Schools are required to provide notice of instruction involving “LGBTQ+-inclusive” storybooks to parents who object. In response, America First Legal created an opt-out form which parents can use. But be aware that administrators have previously bragged to us about pushing this sort of content without notifying parents.
Schools also aren’t allowed to facilitate a child’s “transition” without parental consent, but as we saw in Kansas City, the law often means little to the political radicals who spend a third of each day with your children.
The second step is for parents to ask questions and investigate.
Parents shouldn’t need to go undercover to discern the motivations of teachers, but a little bit of calm questioning on your part can potentially expose a lot of deception on their part. Attend Back-to-School Night or Meet-the-Teacher Night and ask the teachers simple, unloaded questions. You’ll be surprised how much they will tell you. If they assume you share their values — and so many of them do — they’ll often open up about their real priorities.