Moms for Liberty responded to a social media message on Monday from the Department of Education celebrating school psychologists with a warning for parents.
“School psychologists are more important now than ever. This #SchoolPsychWeek, we celebrate our exceptional school psychologists & their work to help students grow & thrive,” the Education Department said on social media on Monday.
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The parental rights group cautioned parents in response to this post.
Dear (xyz school staff),
Please be advised that I do NOT give permission for my child to meet with a psychologist or counselor or to receive any other mental health interventions without my knowledge and written consent.
Thank you,
Parent
— Moms for Liberty (@Moms4Liberty) November 6, 2023
“Send an email to your district superintendent, school principal and child’s teacher today. Let them know you do not want your child meeting with a psychologist without your knowledge and consent,” Moms for Liberty said on social media with the hashtag #ParentalRights.
The Education Department’s post was sent out to celebrate National School Psychologist Week.
The parent group followed up on social media with a sample note to send to school: “Dear (xyz school staff), Please be advised that I do NOT give permission for my child to meet with a psychologist or counselor or to receive any other mental health interventions without my knowledge and written consent. Thank you, Parent.”
The parent movement has come at odds with school psychologists, alongside teachers, who have been at the forefront of hiding the gender transitions of children from parents.
In Virginia this year, lawmakers sparred over the bill “Sage’s Law,” which fought for parents to be notified of a child’s gender transition after it was discovered the child’s transition was hidden by the school staff.
A California judge in September blocked a Southern California school district’s parental notification policy, which required staff to inform parents if a student was identifying as transgender. San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Thomas S. Garza went on to claim that parents posed a “clear and present danger” to LGBT students in his ruling.
Last year, it was reported that Amy Cannava, chairwoman of the National Association Of School Psychologists’s LGBTQI2-S Committee, was involved in transgender group that was said to provide “emergency housing from a supportive, Queer friendly adult” if they didn’t like their parents or feel supported by their parents.
The psychology field has allegedly faced pressure to affirm transgender children.
“I hear from therapists all the time that simply will not work with minors, or will not work with trans-identified/gender-dysphoric/questioning people, for fear of the consequences. So the only people who do work with this population are those who ‘affirm’ and a rare handful of thoughtful people who proceed with great caution,” Stephanie Winn, a marriage and family therapist in Oregon, reportedly said.
The National Association of School Psychologists states on its website that it affirms a “long-standing position on necessary policies and practices to support the safety and well-being of all students, including those who are transgender and gender diverse.”
“The American Psychological Association (APA) actually says that for kids who are questioning their gender identity, you should have therapy to discuss it. That’s actually the official standard,” Andrew Hartz, a practicing clinical psychologist and the founder of the Open Therapy Institute, said in a recent interview . “I think a lot of therapists are worried that if they push back or challenge or really do a tough exploration with a kid, that they’re going to get accused of being transphobic or they’re going to get sued or they’re going to get attacked. And it’s hard to know, and there’s plenty of clinics that are just doing rubber stamp stuff.”
“If someone tells you what their gender identity is you must affirm them; you must accept it at face value,” Joseph Burgo, a psychotherapist and vice director of Genspect, reportedly said.
Toronto psychologist James Cantor has come under fire for questioning the science regarding transgender people and the value of gender-related care.
“Very much of the public debate has been based on subjective perceptions of victimhood rather than on any facts related to the issue. People are relying on perceptions and feelings,” he testified last week.
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Cantor suggests that trans-identifying teenagers may have insecurities or are dealing with autism and personality disorders.
Moms for Liberty has been an active parent group across the country fighting masking mandates, pornographic library materials, and political curricula. In Florida, the group previously stated that mental healthcare “has no place in public schools.”