The Education Department has perpetrated massive wrongs, costing trillions of dollars, according to its own record. Ernie Trakas, a veteran civil‑rights attorney who has spent decades litigating for parental rights and child protections, has been named senior counsel in the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights. The appointment will help roll back systemic abuse in schools.
Entrenched and Invasive
Since the 1920s, courts affirmed parental authority over children, but that power has eroded as federal funding expanded in the mid‑1900s. Radical leftist ideology now drives school curriculum, health data collection, and secrecy from parents, while AI tools that discriminate by race gain traction.
Republicans have pushed the Parents Bill of Rights Act to restore parental access to curriculum, budgets and privacy information, but Democrats blocked it, favoring a watered‑down bill that labels parents as merely complementary. Conservative‑run districts have protected abusers, promoted radical teaching, and concealed gender‑confused students, according to recent headlines.
Retired teacher Larry Sand, former president of the California Teachers Empowerment Network, warned that outside groups have turned many schools into propaganda machines rather than education centers. He said the infiltration threatens traditional learning and endangers children.
Winning Advocacy
House Republicans introduced the Parents Bill of Rights Act in 2023 and passed the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act in 2026, signaling a coordinated push to curb indoctrination. In 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that parents challenging a Maryland district’s use of LGBTQ‑themed children’s books must receive notice and an opt‑out option.
President Trump’s executive orders to end radical indoctrination produced a patchwork of negotiations and legal setbacks, while the department’s rescission of Biden‑era Title IX agreements had minimal impact.
Schools continue to disguise or defy bans on DEI instruction, still receiving state and federal funds, and maintain secrecy policies that suppress free speech and enable antisemitic activity on campuses.
The Office for Civil Rights database lists nearly 3,000 open Title IX investigations across elementary, secondary and postsecondary schools, reflecting widespread sexual misconduct, discrimination and abuse. These investigations involve thousands of alleged victims and highlight the urgent need for effective enforcement.
Historic Push for Protections
Vernadette Broyles, president of the Child and Parental Rights Campaign, praised Trakas as a lawyer of excellence and compassion whose expertise will reverberate for years. She noted his long career, strategic insight and genuine care for parents and children whose rights are at stake.
Trakas brings deep knowledge of Title IX funding, litigation in hostile courts and advice on lasting parental‑rights reforms, making him critical to restoring basic liberties in a system beset by abuse.
An interagency agreement with the Department of Justice is already underway, aiming to enforce parental and child protection laws across the education sector. His navigation of these complex legal landscapes will be pivotal for the department’s reform agenda.
