America First Legal releases parental rights toolkit

The law firm America First Legal has released a new toolkit designed to help parents utilize the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to assert authority over their children’s education.

According to the firm, the IDEA provides parents with extensive legal rights regarding school records, educational services, evaluations, and individualized education programs. The toolkit aims to empower parents to hold schools accountable, specifically in instances where school personnel may implement policies regarding a child’s transgender identity without parental knowledge.

Julie Alexa Strauss, general counsel at America First Legal, stated that parents hold a constitutionally protected right to direct their children’s upbringing. The firm argues that students receiving special education services are uniquely vulnerable to ideological agendas and that the toolkit will help ensure parents, rather than the government, maintain control over their children’s education.