A Line in the Sand - A Rally for Parents Rights Rally was hosted by California Policy Center and PERK on Sept. 26, 2023 for parental rights in Simi Valley, Ca. The turnout for the rally was outstanding, as nearly 400 people waved signs and American flags as an amazing lineup of speakers encouraged families to keep up the fight for parental rights in California. Speakers such as our very own President of PERK, Amy Bohn, Sonja Shaw from Chino Valley Unified Board President, Lance Christensen from the California Policy Center, Jill Simonian from PragerU Kids, Assembly 2024 candidate Patrick Lee Gipson, Retired LA County Sheriffs Deputy and many more. Grandparents, parents, and their families showed up in numbers hungry for information and to learn how they can voice their concerns to their local school boards and city councils. Families from all walks of life from Orange County, Los Angeles County and Ventura County rallied together surrounding concern for their children. The common theme that most families were concerned about was their children’s education and the hyper-sexualized curriculum in schools across this country.
PERK President Amy Bohn, speaking at A Line in the Sand Rally. Watch speeches by Amy Bohn, Jill Simonian and Sonja Shaw here.
Speaker Amy Bohn, president of PERK (Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids), which co-hosted the rally with CPC, spoke of the California parental rights movement:
"We have hope because … people are being inspired … to do something that they didn't even think was possible. Do you realize what is happening in California is supposedly impossible? We have been told — how many times have we been told — that you can't do what we've been doing here in California? You can't win in California? … And look at what's happening in the state that's supposed to be impossible. In California, we are winning left and right because of you … because of the parents."
Watch the Fox 11 Los Angeles news story on the CPC-PERK rally here.
Sonja Shaw, board president of the Chino Valley Unified School Board that was the first to pass a parental notification policy in California — and is now being sued by the California AG — closed the rally with this powerful message to parents:
"Do not give up … I see hope because … many people are [ ] saying what can I do? How can I help? … That's why we're all here today … We're coming together regardless of political affiliations, religious affiliations because we're doing it for our children.
... Our kids are going to learn through this … They're seeing us fight for them … I'm telling you the biggest lesson is what they're seeing us do right now.
...They're counting on us to fight — and guess what? We're building a rockstar team all over California and eventually it's going to be so undeniably unstoppable, our kids are going to win."
The rally was held across the street from the Ronald Regan Presidential Library the evening before the GOP debate to let the candidates know that parents' rights is a priority issue for California voters. (Candidates' comments on parents' rights during the GOP debate here.) We are at a pivotal moment and time in this country where we can unite and be the voice for our children, or rollover and do nothing. We need more parents to join us in this fight for our children.
