The New Crusades: How Extremists are Transforming Capistrano and Saddleback Valley School Districts into a Theocracy
A well-funded, far-right machine is taking aim at our districts—and our students are caught in the crossfire. Don't sleepwalk into a full Moms for Liberty overthrow.
Preface: It’s Not Just the Big Names You Need to Know
When it comes to high-profile races, voting is a no-brainer. You’ve got Kamala Harris for president, Adam Schiff for Senate, and Joe Kerr for Congress. You might not have all their platforms memorized, but it doesn’t really matter. The strategy is simple: find the “D” on the ballot, mark your box, and pat yourself on the back for doing your civic duty.
But when it comes to school board elections, it’s a different story. There’s no convenient “D” or “R” neatly separating the champions from the zealots. Just a string of anonymous names that might as well have been plucked from a phone book. And yet, who you choose for school board matters more than you might think. These seemingly faceless candidates are the ones deciding what your kids read, how they think, and who gets to exist in their classrooms—the very soul of our educational system.
So, if you read nothing else in this post, remember the following and share it with everyone you know:
DO NOT vote for:
Jennifer Adnams– CUSD, Area 1Lisa Zollinger– CUSD, Area 2Lisa Davis– CUSD, Area 3Sonia Terwiske– CUSD, Area 5Scott Miller– SVUSD, Area 2Michelle O’Brien– SVUSD, Area 3Michael Stannard– SVUSD, Area 4
DO vote for:
Amy Hanacek – CUSD, Area 1
Michael Parham – CUSD, Area 2
Sherine Smith – CUSD, Area 3
Krista Castellanos – CUSD, Area 5
Michelle Sparks – SVUSD, Area 2
Suzie Swarz – SVUSD, Area 3
Amanda Morrel* – SVUSD, Area 4
*While this individual is a Republican, she’s not the frothing-at-the-mouth, flat-Earth, book-burning variety.
For reference, view the Capistrano Unified School District Trustee Area Map and the Saddleback Valley Unified School District Trustee Area Map.
These aren’t just boxes to check. Your vote determines whether our schools remain places of learning and growth or become the latest casualty in a war against truth, diversity, and critical thinking. These are the people standing between your child’s right to a comprehensive, inclusive education and a future where ignorance masquerades as virtue, censorship is labeled “protection,” and bigotry parades as “freedom.”
The Unholy Alliance of Extremism and Hypocrisy
Welcome to the surreal new battleground of Capistrano and Saddleback Valley School Districts, where ideological warfare has burst from the national stage into your local school board meetings. You might have once imagined your local board members calmly debating budgets, extracurricular programs, or the occasional zoning issue. Well, those days are over. Enter Moms for Liberty and a group of far-right activists whose version of "parental rights" looks a lot more like cultural indoctrination, curriculum censorship, and a dystopian nightmare for anyone valuing diversity, critical thought, or even just plain civility.
If you think this sounds like hyperbole, buckle up. These groups have made it abundantly clear: they are not interested in compromise, dialogue, or the give-and-take that used to characterize school board discussions. They want domination—full, unrelenting control over every aspect of what your children can read, learn, or even talk about in school. And they’re targeting our districts.
A Threat to Our Schools, Our Kids, and Our Community
Moms for Liberty is not some benign grassroots organization of concerned parents. They’re a well-funded political machine, deploying fear, misinformation, and sheer hostility to bulldoze through local education systems nationwide. Their agenda goes far beyond challenging individual library books or opposing specific policies. It’s about purging the educational system of any trace of social justice, diversity, and history they deem unsavory—whether that’s teaching about slavery, recognizing LGBTQ+ rights, or even including stories that feature diverse families.
When Extremists Call Themselves “Moms”
One of the cruelest ironies is that a group calling itself Moms for Liberty is so fundamentally opposed to what motherhood should stand for. Instead of nurturing, they offer cruelty. Instead of protecting, they inflict harm, targeting the most vulnerable students—those who are LGBTQ+, students of color, and any child whose very existence contradicts their narrow worldview. Real moms don’t pull books out of children’s hands or reshape history to turn uncomfortable truths into feel-good fiction. Real moms don’t create a climate of fear where teachers have to second-guess whether acknowledging the existence of gay people will cost them their jobs. And real Christians certainly don’t act like self-righteous inquisitors, cherry-picking scripture to justify erasing marginalized voices. It’s astounding that this group—which likes to quote the Bible when it suits them—seems to have missed all those verses about love, humility, and compassion. The hypocrisy is staggering.
The Devastating Impact on Schools and Education
If their crusade continues to succeed in Capistrano and Saddleback Valley, the consequences will be disastrous—not just for students, but for the entire community. Make no mistake: Moms for Liberty’s agenda has nothing to do with “parental rights” or “protecting children.” It’s about power. Their vision for public schools is one where teachers are too scared to teach, students are too scared to learn, and libraries are stripped of anything that might challenge a narrow, sanitized version of reality.
Imagine a school district where:
Curricula Become Weapons of Misinformation
In districts where these groups dominate, complex subjects like climate change are reduced to fringe theories, evolution is treated as an “opinion,” and civil rights history is recast as a tale of overblown grievances. It’s not just about what students are taught—it’s about what they’re not allowed to learn. Critical thinking is abandoned in favor of teaching compliance. And the result is an education system that trains students not to question the world around them, but to accept it without challenge.
Libraries Become Ideological Battlefields
In states where extremists have taken control, school librarians operate under a cloud of fear. Books that address racism, LGBTQ+ identities, or even difficult historical truths are systematically pulled from shelves—not because they violate standards, but because librarians can’t afford a lawsuit from a parent wielding Moms for Liberty’s playbook of intimidation. Books that once offered marginalized students a sense of belonging and identity vanish, replaced by a sanitized curriculum that erases entire communities from the educational narrative.
Teachers Are Intimidated Into Silence
Across the country, teachers are leaving rather than endure the harassment and scrutiny that comes with being labeled “woke.” They’re targeted not just for their lesson plans, but for their very presence—rainbow stickers, book choices, even the suggestion of inclusivity can trigger an onslaught. Those who remain in the classroom learn to self-censor, sticking to safe, unchallenging topics. They’re replaced by those who are more than willing to toe the ideological line, turning schools into echo chambers of a narrow, approved worldview.
Administrators Are Purged
Superintendents and principals who once prioritized educational excellence are pushed out in favor of ideologues who prioritize compliance. This is more than just a change in leadership—it’s a dismantling of the very framework that supports a healthy educational environment. The new administrators aren’t there to foster learning; they’re there to enforce orthodoxy, ensuring that every lesson, every policy, every decision falls in line with a rigid agenda that views education as a battlefield for control.
Students Are Sacrificed on the Altar of Ideology
The real victims are, of course, the students. LGBTQ+ kids see their identities erased, their dignity questioned, and their very existence treated as an inconvenience to be managed. Students of color are forced to sit through history lessons that sanitize the past, omitting uncomfortable truths about racism and struggle. Every student—gay, straight, cisgender, transgender, white, Black, and everyone in between—is left with a hollow, incomplete education that prepares them for little more than obedience.
Science is Sacrificed to Ideology
Science teachers are expected to navigate a minefield of “alternative facts” and ideological mandates. Climate change becomes a “controversy,” vaccines are reduced to “personal choices,” and evolution is “just a theory.” Students learn to question legitimate science while entertaining myths and pseudoscience, leaving them ill-equipped to distinguish fact from fiction. The message is clear: science is only as valuable as its ability to reinforce the worldview of those in power.
Cultural Erasure Takes Root in Art and Literature Classes
The arts, which provide a lifeline for so many students, are targeted for ideological cleansing. Literature that reflects diverse voices is removed, art that challenges conventional thinking is banned, and music that speaks to struggle and identity is silenced. What’s left is a hollow shell of creative expression—content that is stripped of complexity and any capacity to inspire students to think beyond the limits imposed on them. Schools, once places of vibrant cultural exchange, become sterile environments where only the most uncontroversial works survive.
Health Education Reverts to the Dark Ages
Sex education, if it’s taught at all, reverts to fear and shame rather than fact and support. LGBTQ+ identities are stigmatized or erased, consent is ignored, and the message is clear: moral judgment, not health, is the priority. The real-world impact is devastating: students are left without the basic information they need to navigate their own bodies and relationships safely, making them more vulnerable to harm.
Mental Health Support is Dismantled
Already underfunded, counseling services are gutted or replaced with “character-building” programs that preach morality rather than offer real help. LGBTQ+ support groups are disbanded, and students struggling with trauma or abuse are left with no one to turn to. This isn’t about supporting students—it’s about controlling them, forcing them to conform or face isolation. The most vulnerable are left even more isolated, with no safety net in a system that views their needs as a threat.
Disciplinary Policies Target the “Different” and the “Dissenting”
New zero-tolerance policies are enacted, targeting students who don’t fit neatly into the vision these extremists have for public education. Students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and those who express dissent are singled out, disciplined harshly, and pushed to the margins. Challenging the system is labeled “defiance,” supporting inclusivity is “disruption.” The goal isn’t just discipline—it’s eradication of anything that disrupts their narrow vision of order.
Capistrano’s and Saddleback Valley’s Future: Are We Going to Let It Happen?
The irony is that elsewhere, this brand of extremism is being rejected. In places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, voters are waking up and recognizing authoritarianism for what it is. In suburban districts and swing states, Moms for Liberty’s message is falling flat—not because it’s subtle or complicated, but because most parents don’t want their children’s schools turned into ideological re-education camps. They trust teachers, value genuine education, and see the dangers in banning books and whitewashing history. The question is: will Capistrano and Saddleback Valley follow their lead, or will we sleepwalk into a takeover that will set our schools back decades?
Wake Up Before It’s Too Late
If Moms for Liberty takes over CUSD and SVUSD, we won’t just lose a few school board seats—we’ll lose the essence of what makes our schools places of learning and growth. We’ll lose dedicated teachers, passionate librarians, and administrators who put students’ well-being above political games. We’ll lose the trust of parents and students alike. And we’ll lose our right to call ourselves a community that values education, freedom, and diversity.
Across the country, people are finally seeing Moms for Liberty for what they really are: a group that weaponizes the language of “love” and “faith” to push an agenda of exclusion and control. They dress up their crusade in the rhetoric of “parental rights,” but what they’re really selling is a vision of education straight out of the Dark Ages—where ignorance replaces knowledge, obedience trumps inquiry, and conformity crushes diversity.
Their tactics aren’t just unethical—they’re dangerous. If we don’t stand up, speak out, and vote now, we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves when Capistrano and Saddleback Valley become yet another tragic example of what happens when extremism takes root.
The Best Defense? A Strong, Informed Community.
Forward this article. Talk to your neighbors. Engage with local parent groups. Show up at school board meetings. Understand their agenda, see through their fear-mongering, and when it’s time to vote, choose leaders who value education, inclusivity, and truth.
This isn’t just about a few elections; it’s about safeguarding the future of our children’s education. If we don’t act now, we risk losing not just our schools, but the foundation of our community. The real battle isn’t in the boardrooms—it’s in the classrooms. Vote wisely. Vote informed. And don’t let zealots hijack the next generation’s chance to learn, grow, and thrive.
My other articles on Moms for Liberty: