Moms for Liberty: ‘We Do Not Co-Parent With the Government’

Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich are empowering parents to defend their rights through local chapters nationwide

Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich, co-founders of Moms for Liberty, in Washington on Sep. 27, 2023. Wei Wu/The Epoch Times

In a recent episode of “American Thought Leaders,” host Jan Jekielek met with Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich. Both women were serving as members of their respective school boards when the COVID pandemic struck. Having witnessed teachers’ unions prioritizing fear-based policies and activist messaging over the well-being of children, they founded Moms for Liberty, a grassroots organization empowering parents to defend their rights and advocate for their children’s education. In less than three years, the organization has established 300 chapters across the country.

Jan Jekielek: You two are doing Moms for Liberty town halls everywhere these days, most recently in Montgomery County, Maryland. What are these town halls all about?

Tiffany Justice: We call them Giving Parents a Voice, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re putting the microphone into the hands of parents. Last night we had a parent panel and a policy panel, and we took questions from the audience.

Montgomery County is just one example of a violation of parental rights on several different levels. There are private conversations between children and adults in schools without the consent or knowledge of parents, leading them down a dangerous path as far as gender transition is concerned. Gender ideology and sexual orientation are being taught in the classroom. It’s being introduced to children as young as 5 years old.

Tina Descovich: We bring people all over the country together for these discussions, because the issues are different everywhere. And these issues cross the lines of religion and race. Last night we had the Jewish, Ethiopian, Muslim, and Christian populations represented, all speaking out against what’s happening.

Mr. Jekielek: Please tell me how you got into this.

Ms. Descovich: I was a volunteer in my children’s elementary school and was PTO president. I was doing all I could to improve their education and be involved in their school. That’s when you see what’s happening in the system and all the problems.

When my son was in seventh grade, he brought home an assignment that he got a 100 percent on. Of course, I was proud of him, but when I opened it, I found a poster that said, “Wanted, Christopher Columbus, for crimes against humanity.”

After Christopher Columbus, there was one assignment after another like that. My eyes were opened, and once your eyes are opened, you can’t go back.

Mr. Jekielek: Let’s look at the pandemic, when things really changed.

Ms. Descovich: Our school board had gotten along well. We had a Democrat, an independent, and several Republicans. Everybody worked together for the betterment of our community. When COVID happened, that just went away.

It was bizarre to watch colleagues I had respected ignoring parents who were in tears, like the mom asking about her deaf child, “How is she going to communicate and get an education if she and her teacher are both masked?”

The board didn’t want to allow any exceptions. I kept voting against the forced quarantine of healthy children and the masking with no opt-out, but they kept bringing it. It was second-grade through 12th-grade for masks, and then they brought it down to kindergarten. Meanwhile, Tiffany was in the school district near mine, doing the same thing and having the same experience.

Mr. Jekielek: How did you get involved, Tiffany?

Ms. Justice: I started as a volunteer at my kids’ school too, where I learned a lot about the way the school district prioritizes its funds. I saw that the district’s priorities were really out of sync with what was best for the kids.

Mr. Jekielek: How so?

Ms. Justice: Kids were eating lunch at 10:30 a.m. because the union bargaining contract dictated that. Early release days happened once a month, which weren’t good for kids or parents, and the teachers didn’t like them, but the union wanted them kept in the contract. There was a lot of covering up educational failure and making excuses. That’s how you end up with a 90 percent graduation rate, but only 25 percent of graduates reading even at an eighth-grade level.

Mr. Jekielek: What is Moms for Liberty all about?

Ms. Descovich: What was done to parents and children during the pandemic was destructive to public education and our system of government. We saw an opportunity to unify and educate these parents, and empower them to defend their rights. We organize in chapters around the country. We fight at the local level to defend parental rights and to improve public education.

Ms. Justice: Our motto at Moms for Liberty is that we do not co-parent with the government. Parents can delegate the education of their children to a public school system, but that doesn’t mean they’re delegating their responsibilities and rights as parents.

We’re also trying to reform the schools and focus on basics: reading, writing, and math. The teachers’ unions seem more interested in forcing ideology into the schools than ensuring the kids can read.

Ms. Descovich: Their summer conferences show what these unions value. There’s nothing on their agenda about education or reading. They take stands on abortion, they get involved in foreign policy, but they don’t talk about the basics of education.

Ms. Justice: We interviewed a gentleman from Hong Kong who has seen the change. He lived here, left for a long time, and came back. He told us, “America used to be a bright light, but we feel that light is dimming.” American parents feel it, too.

Mr. Jekielek: So, what’s next for Moms for Liberty?

Ms. Descovich: We want a chapter in all 3000 counties in the country. Only parents can save public education.

Mr. Jekielek: A final thought, Tiffany?

Ms. Justice: It’s a blessing and an honor to be part of Moms for Liberty. Every day, we’re amazed by how strong American moms and dads are, and by the strength of the American people. I have faith that we’re going to turn this country around.

This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.