Californians are rallying in opposition to Assembly Bill AB 495, which would allow “any unrelated adult to claim to be a child’s ‘caregiver’” simply by filling out and signing a form, without notifying the parents or obtaining their consent. By signing the “Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit,” which opponents say would provide “zero safeguards,” teachers, neighbors, family friends, or virtually any adult claiming to be connected to a child could claim authority over the child and make decisions on the child’s behalf. The bill was introduced by Assembly Member Celeste Rodriguez, ostensibly to protect children of illegal aliens “should the parent(s) be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and a child is left unattended during that time.” But opponents say its reach “is far wider” and that there is nothing in AB 495 limiting it to immigrant children. Rather, they say, “its vague language leaves the door wide open for misuse and exploitation.” They also warn that the affidavits do not require notarization and that “verification can be as flimsy as providing a Social Security number or driver’s license number—not even the actual card. No background checks. No proof of identity. Hospitals, doctors, and schools are not required to verify the claim. In short, anyone who fills out the affidavit could take control over a child and authorize irreversible medical procedures without parents ever knowing.” The bill applies to all children and all situations, including those in private schools and homeschools. Opponents further note that the problem of children needing temporary or emergency care “is already solved” because parents provide schools and pre-schools with emergency contacts they themselves have chosen in the event of an emergency situation. “AB 495 doesn’t fill a gap; it creates a dangerous loophole. With just one piece of paper and no verification of relationship, any adult who fills out an affidavit can gain control over a child,” throwing open the door to kidnapping, trafficking, and abuse, while doing nothing to truly protect immigrant children. Finally, opponents say AB 495 is unconstitutional, violating parents’ “fundamental right to direct their children’s upbringing, education, and medical care. It offers no due process—no notice, no opportunity to object.” Education Reporter will follow the progress of this disastrous bill.

When dads are on duty, kids’ lives improve. Back in October 2021, after a series of fights at Southwood High School in Shreveport, LA, a group of concerned fathers banded together to form Dads on Duty, which quickly grew to about 40 volunteers that took turns spending time at the school. CBS News reported that the fights netted 23 juvenile arrests at the 1,500-student school, prompting the dads to step in and make a difference. CBS explained that the dads “greet students in the morning and help maintain a positive environment for learning, rather than fighting.” Dad Michael La’Fitte Jr. came up with the idea, telling CBS: “We decided the best people who can take care of our kids are who? Are us,” he said. The students seemed to agree. One teen told CBS: “I immediately felt a form of safety. We stopped fighting; people started going to class.” Students credit not only the dad “looks,” which they described as “a power” all the dads have, but also the “dad jokes” which helped ease the tension. ABC News later credited Dads on Duty with transforming the school. La’Fitte works with an independent security company that helps vet the dads who volunteer, all of whom are typically juggling full time jobs. Southwood’s principal, Kim H. Pendleton, Ph.D., said the dads “are from the community,” and have helped quell gang violence and other disruptions at the school. Last year, Reader’s Digest published an article about the group, noting that their model has spread to other schools in Louisiana, and that they “have already partnered with fathers in other parts of the country, who have followed their example. Groups in Henderson, Nevada; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Jackson, Mississippi, have formed versions of Dads on Duty.” According to La’Fitte, “the more the merrier. We’d like this to be something that is in every school in every county ... Because not everybody has a father figure at home, or a male, period, in their life. So just being there makes a big difference.” With male influence and strength currently facing scorn and derision, many observers say “bravo” to these dads. Kids are proving just how much they need them in their lives.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor says she spends most of her time “fighting Donald Trump’s ‘state terrorism.’” The College Fix reports that Catherine D’Ignazio, an urban studies professor who runs the “Data + Feminism” lab and organizes “reproductive justice hackathons,” accuses the Trump Administration of using a strategy that “conjoins specific instances of threats and violence with widely reported media representations in order to spread fear.... This is what distinguishes the current violence of the state as terrorist. It is not only a judicial project but also a public relations project and a strategic communications project.” As readers struggle to understand what she is talking about, she charges even the liberal New York Times with playing a “role in promoting fear.” The Fix reports that D’Ignazio advises other American universities as to how they too “can fight the terrorism,” presumably along with MIT. The professor says she estimates spending “about a third of my own working hours ... consumed with combating the impacts of state terrorism on my university campus: widespread fear, self-censorship, capitulation, and silence.” She concedes that these are hours professors “should be using to advance science and innovation or educate and mentor students,” to which many parents might respond, “if only....” D’Ignazio alludes to the fact that in certain ways, it might be true that “state terrorism is working,” and that surviving it “will not be easy. During this period, we must remember that the current project is an elaborate exercise in political theater designed to spread fear, isolation, and division.” Finally, says this paragon of wasted higher education dollars: “Acts of radical care, everyday courage, and collective action are the most effective antidote to state terrorism.” Doubtless many parents who have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for their children to attend MIT, are reassured.

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