Court case highlights clash between parental rights, indoctrination
In the education landscape, the tension between parental rights and school curricula has become a contentious battlefield. It is essential to recognize that parents are their children’s primary educators. When they send their children to school — public or private — they do not surrender their rights or responsibilities. Yet, the education establishment has been […]
In the education landscape, the tension between parental rights and school curricula has become a contentious battlefield. It is essential to recognize that parents are their children’s primary educators. When they send their children to school — public or private — they do not surrender their rights or responsibilities. Yet, the education establishment has been increasingly encroaching on this vital paradigm.
A case recently argued before the Supreme Court regarding Maryland parents’ rights to opt out of lessons that infringe upon their religious beliefs epitomizes this growing conflict. This is not about retreating from progressive educational mandates; it is fundamentally a defense of First Amendment rights, a defense of parents’ rights to be parents.
At the center of this controversy are the parents from Montgomery County, who assert a fundamental principle: the right to shield their children from exposure to sexual content that is inappropriate for their age while also steering their moral and ethical upbringing in alignment with their faith.
When the local school board decided to introduce a curriculum infused with LGBTQ+ themes — often embracing controversial discussions of human sexuality and gender identity — without regard for age appropriateness, and, crucially, without permitting parents the option to withdraw their children, it raised profound questions about the role of public education in a democratic society. In their quest for inclusivity, these educators have overlooked an essential truth: promoting inclusivity should never infringe upon parental rights and the deeply held convictions that guide their families.
This matter goes beyond mere exposure — it veers into indoctrination when children are repeatedly confronted with concepts that clash with family values. “I don’t think anybody can read that and say: Well, this is just telling children that there are occasions when men marry other men,” said Justice Samuel Alito. “It has a clear moral message, and it may be a good message. It’s just a message that a lot of religious people disagree with.”
Justice Amy Coney Barrett raised a crucial point, noting it is one thing to expose students to diverse ideas; it is quite another to present certain viewpoints as indisputable truths. By framing an ideology with the certainty of “this is the right view of the world,” educators risk indoctrination rather than enlightenment. This distinction is not merely academic but speaks to the essence of cultivating a truly informed citizenry.
Justice Elena Kagan expressed concern regarding the exposure of young children to certain materials in Montgomery County. “I, too, was struck by these young kids’ picture books and, on matters concerning sexuality, I suspect there are a lot of non-religious parents who weren’t all that thrilled about this,” she said.
Chief Justice John Roberts aptly questioned the practicality of expecting young children to compartmentalize their beliefs in the classroom. It is unreasonable to expect 5-year-olds, still forming their worldviews, to reconcile lessons that conflict fundamentally with the teachings they receive at home.
What lies at the heart of these debates is a moral disconnect between the values held by many Americans and those promoted by the educational establishment. While the majority rightly argue that material containing controversial sexual content should have no place in our children’s classrooms, the education establishment continues to tout the necessity of exposing children to such content under the guise of inclusivity. This disregards the legitimate values held by the wider community.
Highlighted in this case is a crucial truth: parents must resolutely maintain their right to direct their children’s education according to their values. This struggle is not simply a skirmish; it reflects a broader movement aimed at reshaping education by privileging a state-sanctioned narrative while marginalizing dissenting voices.
We must assert, without hesitation, that parents are — and must remain — the primary educators of their children. When parents enroll a child in a school, whether public or private, it should not be interpreted as a relinquishment of parental authority or the moral guidance essential to their upbringing. We must stand firm in defending parental rights against the encroaching ideologies of the education establishment.
Craig J. DeLuz is a Project 21 ambassador and has 30 years of experience in public policy and advocacy. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
High school players, college coaches flock to UWRF Mega Camp
Three years ago, UW-River Falls football coach Matt Walker and the Falcon football program hosted their first UWRF Minnesconsin Mega Camp for high school players in the Upper Midwest hoping to catch the eye of college coaches. After this year’s event, they may have to change the name. Last Thursday’s Minnesconsin Mega Camp attracted over […]
Three years ago, UW-River Falls football coach Matt Walker and the Falcon football program hosted their first UWRF Minnesconsin Mega Camp for high school players in the Upper Midwest hoping to catch the eye of college coaches. After this year’s event, they may have to change the name.
Last Thursday’s Minnesconsin Mega Camp attracted over 1,000 players, not only from Minnesota and Wisconsin, but from 27 different states and eight different countries. On hand to scout the campers were coaches and staff from 63 different college programs representing every level from the Power 4 Division 1 to FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA schools.
Ripon College assistant football coach Lane Barnes prepares to time a camper in the pro agility sprint during the skill position portion of the UW-River Falls Minnesconsin Mega Camp Thursday, June 19, at Ramer Field. Bob Burrows / Star-Observer
“It’s a cool, catchy name and we’ll keep it,” Walker said about the Minnesconsin name, “But when you start getting kids globally and recruits from Arizona and places like that flying in, that’s awesome.”
The first camp in 2023 resulted in over 800 offers from college programs to campers, including over 100 from Division I programs and over 250 from Division II. Walker said it’s too soon to tell how many offers will come out of this year’s camp, but noted there was plenty of talent to choose from.
“This was by far the most talent we’ve had at the camp,” he said. “It was incredible, and I know kids are gonna walk out of there with Power 4 offers.
Walker said the camp is also a prime opportunity to show off the UWRF program and facilities to hopeful recruits.
“We don’t lie about it,” he said. “Part of it for us is a recruiting process. We’re the host, so let’s showcase our piece a little bit.”
Walker and his staff use the check-in process as a tour of the Falcon Center facilities. After registering inside Page Arena, the campers’ go to the Knowles Center to get measured for height. They work their way to Hunt Arena to receive their numbered T-shirts, then down the hall to the UWRF locker room to be weighed, before exiting through the expansive Falcon Center weight room out and onto the David Smith Stadium turf.
“By the time they come out of there they’ve seen our entire building,” Walker noted.
Once campers get out on the field they are put through standard combine testing, which includes collecting verified numbers in the vertical jump, broad jump, 40 yard dash, and pro agility run.
Campers line up to be timed in the 40-yard dash during the skill position portion of the UW-River Falls Minnesconsin Mega Camp Thursday, June 19, at Ramer Field. Bob Burrows / Star-Observer
“We’re actually live updating the college staff so they have a QR code that takes them to a file where they’re getting live results as kids are finishing their testing,” Walker explained.
After combine testing inside David Smith Stadium, campers head over to the UWRF intramural fields for more traditional football work, including agility and one-on-one drills.
“For safety’s sake, we’re not doing anything beyond a one-on-one,” Walker said. “The last thing we want to do is get kids hurt.”
This year’s camp was broken down into three waves for the first time, with Big Guys (offensive and defensive lineman), starting at 11:30 a.m., Specialists (kickers, punters, long snappers) at 1 p.m., and Skill (quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, running back, linebacker, defensive back) beginning check-in at 2:45 p.m.
“So by the time the skill kids are done with their combine and ready to head out to the field, the big guys have finished their camp completely,” Walker said. “It probably couldn’t have gone smoother.”
All of that work requires a mountain of volunteers, and Walker said he has no problem getting people to help out.
“My kid and his friends are running combine cards to plug in the data,” he noted. “My daughter’s friends are handing out T-shirts. You’ve got current players helping, and I brought our committed players in to let them be around each other and get to know each other and they volunteered to come in and work some of the check in. You got your current staff and high school coaches that’ll help you out. Then the visiting college staff will do some of the timing because it takes so many stop watches.”
While football is the main focus of the camp, Walker said there are also spillover benefits for both the university and community.
“It’s the single biggest visit day of not just the summer, but of the year,” he pointed out. “You’re bringing in 1,000 families and they’ve got four hours to kill. They’re not always sitting there watching. They’re walking around campus. They’re walking downtown. Some of them are staying overnight. So there’s got to be benefits to the community and the campus.”
UWRF’s Minnesconsin Mega Camp has grown into one of the largest in the country, and according to Walker, “the one” in the Upper Midwest. But as successful as this year’s camp was, Walker said he’s already thinking about how he can make things even better for next year.
“I can’t imagine it being better than what we did. It was awesome,” he said. “But less than 24 hours from the camp being over I already made notes for next year, how we can make some tweaks and make this thing even better. It’s a really cool thing.”
Watch Cooper Flagg's Maine high school highlights ahead of NBA draft
The 25. And number 3 Alright Oh. I was Hey Yeah And Yeah the Advertisement Looking back at Cooper Flagg’s Maine high school highlights ahead of NBA draft Updated: 4:58 PM EDT Jun 23, 2025 Editorial Standards ⓘ Less than three and a half years ago, Cooper Flagg led Nokomis Regional High School to its […]
Less than three and a half years ago, Cooper Flagg led Nokomis Regional High School to its first state basketball championship as a freshman and was named Maine’s Gatorade Player of the Year.On Wednesday, the 18-year-old from Newport is expected to be chosen with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft after leading Duke to the Final Four and winning most major national player of the year awards.Maine’s Total Coverage has picked out a number of the top plays from Flagg’s freshman season, in which he averaged 20.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.7 blocks per game for a Nokomis team that finished 21-1.Flagg finished with a game-high 22 points and 16 rebounds in the Class A championship game against Falmouth High School. He won the state title alongside his twin brother, Ace, and their older brother, Hunter.Watch Cooper’s Maine high school highlights in the video player above.Less than a month after winning the state championship, Cooper and Ace announced that they were transferring to Montverde Academy, a national powerhouse in the Greater Orlando area.The Flagg twins played with the Maine United AAU team after their first season with Montverde. Before their second season, Cooper announced he was reclassifying from the class of 2025 to the class of 2024 — making him eligible for this year’s NBA draft. Ace decided to remain in the class of 2025, and he is set to begin his freshman year at the University of Maine this fall.Cooper and Ace did, however, return to their home state in January 2024 as part of a two-game showcase called “The Maine Event,” which is also one of Cooper’s nicknames.Maine’s Total Coverage also featured highlights of Cooper Flagg from The Maine Event in the video player at the top of this article.Cooper Flagg led Duke with averages of 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game in his lone season with the Blue Devils.Duke listed Flagg at 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds but at last month’s NBA draft combine, he was measured at 6 feet, 7.75 inches tall without shoes and weighed in at 221 pounds.The NBA draft begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday, and the Dallas Mavericks hold the top pick.
PORTLAND, Maine —
Less than three and a half years ago, Cooper Flagg led Nokomis Regional High School to its first state basketball championship as a freshman and was named Maine’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
Maine’s Total Coverage has picked out a number of the top plays from Flagg’s freshman season, in which he averaged 20.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.7 steals and 3.7 blocks per game for a Nokomis team that finished 21-1.
Flagg finished with a game-high 22 points and 16 rebounds in the Class A championship game against Falmouth High School. He won the state title alongside his twin brother, Ace, and their older brother, Hunter.
Watch Cooper’s Maine high school highlights in the video player above.
Less than a month after winning the state championship, Cooper and Ace announced that they were transferring to Montverde Academy, a national powerhouse in the Greater Orlando area.
The Flagg twins played with the Maine United AAU team after their first season with Montverde. Before their second season, Cooper announced he was reclassifying from the class of 2025 to the class of 2024 — making him eligible for this year’s NBA draft. Ace decided to remain in the class of 2025, and he is set to begin his freshman year at the University of Maine this fall.
Cooper and Ace did, however, return to their home state in January 2024 as part of a two-game showcase called “The Maine Event,” which is also one of Cooper’s nicknames.
Maine’s Total Coverage also featured highlights of Cooper Flagg from The Maine Event in the video player at the top of this article.
Cooper Flagg led Duke with averages of 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game in his lone season with the Blue Devils.
Duke listed Flagg at 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds but at last month’s NBA draft combine, he was measured at 6 feet, 7.75 inches tall without shoes and weighed in at 221 pounds.
The NBA draft begins at 8 p.m. Wednesday, and the Dallas Mavericks hold the top pick.
North Carolina high school standout Elijah Littlejohn is the latest commitment for a 2026 Penn State recruiting class ranked top 10 overall nationally. The West Mecklenburg (Charlotte) senior announced his decision last week, giving the Nittany Lions 20 total pledges within the cycle. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Littlejohn is considered a Top247 talent, listed at No. 236 overall […]
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Littlejohn is considered a Top247 talent, listed at No. 236 overall and 24th among edge rushers. Although he does supply plenty of potential as a blitzer, he is primed to play linebacker for Penn State.
The Nittany Lions extended a scholarship offer in April, then hosted him on campus for an official visit. That experience allowed for extended conversation with linebackers coach Dan Connor and helped get him on board with Penn State, topping a list of suitors that included 30 schools.
As a junior, Littlejohn terrorized opposing offensive backfields. He collected 26 tackles for loss, 14 sacks and 24 QB hurries in 2024, according to MaxPreps.
View Littlejohn’s junior season highlights above!
So what stands out about Littlejohn in our 247Sports scouting report?
In the latest installment of 1JD Films, get a behind the scenes look at the formation of Jets Flag Elite team, the first ever girls flag football travel team sponsored by the New York Jets. The 1JD films crew follows the team from the tryouts to the practice fields to their first tournament and captures […]
In the latest installment of 1JD Films, get a behind the scenes look at the formation of Jets Flag Elite team, the first ever girls flag football travel team sponsored by the New York Jets. The 1JD films crew follows the team from the tryouts to the practice fields to their first tournament and captures all the sights and sounds.
TCF highlights 2024 grant recipients with site visits
On May 6, the Tahlequah Community Fund board, along with representatives from Communities Foundation of Oklahoma, visited several local organizations and schools as part of a community tour highlighting the impact of its 2024 grant-making cycle. This year, the fund awarded more than $44,000 to 16 organizations dedicated to strengthening the Tahlequah community. × This […]
On May 6, the Tahlequah Community Fund board, along with representatives from Communities Foundation of Oklahoma, visited several local organizations and schools as part of a community tour highlighting the impact of its 2024 grant-making cycle.
This year, the fund awarded more than $44,000 to 16 organizations dedicated to strengthening the Tahlequah community.
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