Essentially, the bill allows “non-relative extended family members” to sign Caregiver Authorization Affidavit online saying they are a caretaker and remove a child from a school.
Before the signing, many citizens were concerned about the bill’s potential to compromise parents rights, including Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hill who actually formed a protest.
Heidi St. John is the founder and chairman of the board of Firmly Planted Family and founder of Faith that Speaks, formerly known as MomStrong International. She spoke with Tony Perkins on Washington Watch about how parents need to watch for legislation that could curb their rights to raise their children.
“Pastor Jack called me -- and it's the first time I've talked to him on the phone when I felt like this man is close to tears -- explaining what was happening in the legislature here under the watch of Gavin Newsom,” said St. John.
St. John calls the legislation a tremendous overreach and an assault on parental rights. But it’s not just happening in California, she warns.
“Parents need to watch what's happening in California, because what's happening in California is happening in Oregon, Washington, New York, and New Jersey, which is one of the most recent states to enact or try to enact legislation that will hurt homeschooling. Educators understand that what they want more than anything is access to children,” states St. John.
AFN previously reported on several bills that are being considered that will hinder and restrict homeschooling. To this, St. John comments that many government leaders “fear” homeschooling. She also stresses that parents cannot afford to sit out.
“I think it's easy for us to say, ‘well, we've got a Republican governor or a Republican president right now.’ Some people in red states feel very, very safe. There is no safety, there is no quarter from the attack that is being launched against parents in this country, particularly in education,” says St. John.
She believes a parent’s most important tool is knowing who is in charge of educating children. Whether a family is enrolled in private education or home schools its children, people should be aware what is happening in public schools.
“This is not a time for people to sit back and just pretend and coast through it. This is a time for, I think, all gas and no brakes. We need to be very, very aware, and also stand up and tell the truth,” says St. John. “We have a moment in time right now in which we can tell the truth and stand boldly for it. Christians need to engage now is the time.”
St. John said she hears many people speaking of the return of Jesus during these trying times, but that does not make it an excuse for Christians to sit back and wait. She emphasizes that now is an extraordinary moment to get involved.
“I heard a statistic recently that 1.3 million people who identify as followers of Jesus Christ in Washington State did not vote in the last election. If we’d turn out to vote, if we’d engage, if it would matter to us, we wouldn't just win, we'd win in a landslide, and I think that is the message that needs to come from pastors and Christian leaders across the country right now,” says St. John.
Christians must engage with government
Once Christians understand that they belong to the Lord, the spirit of fear will be taken away to allow them to step into God’s calling for their lives, she says.
“Politics determines policy, and policy shapes the nation, and if Christians would engage in the policy-shaping business, I think we'd seen amazing things happen in the country,” says St. John, who ran for Congress in Washington State in 2022, falling in the Republican primary.
She thinks the message needs to be really clear to Christians.
“It requires courage to stand for righteousness in the public square right now. But we understand God didn't give us a spirit of fear, right?” says St. John. “If we have a fear or a reverence for God, we will not fear man.”
