The Santa Clara Unified School District is considering legal action against a group it says has become aggressive while handing out leaflets at schools.
The school district said members of the group Informed Parents of Silicon Valley, an organization whose website says is opposed to the teaching of critical race theory and comprehensive sexuality education, have been standing outside local schools over the past week and a half and handing out informational leaflets to parents.
Katie Culbert said she saw the group outside Laurelwood Elementary School last Friday.
"When I first rode past the lady, she said my parental rights were being taken away," Culbert said.
The flyer the group was passing out claimed educators were indoctrinating children with dangerous theories at the expense of family values.
"The flyer was pretty disturbing," Culbert said. "I told her I thought it was inappropriate and she yelled at me, ‘It is not.' I was pretty upset about it."
The district said the group handing out the flyers was aggressive and left some parents and children feeling unsafe.
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That morning, police were called out to Laurelwood to investigate reports of a parent grabbing the box of flyers and taking it off campus. A scuffle ensued, and police said that parent was bitten by a member of the group. That person was cited for assault and battery.
"I was a public school teacher in Michigan and there’s groups like this out there that just make up things about schools and teachers," Culbert said. "That’s really upsetting to me."
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The school district recently sent a letter to parents addressing the issue, saying it fully supports the group's right to free speech but believes they crossed the line.
"Our children also have a right to attend school without harassment, fear or intimidation," Superintendent Dr. Gary Waddell said in a video statement. "Over the past week and a half, we’ve received increasing reports about behaviors that have crossed the line into harassing and abusive behavior."
In the letter to parents, the district also said it's working with legal counsel to "pursue all legal remedies available as we seek to protect the safety and rights of our children, families, and staff."
NBC Bay Area reached out to Informed Parents of Silicon Valley for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
