President Donald Trump has thrown down the gauntlet against progressive gender ideology in public schools since taking office last month, signing a series of executive orders that some say could change the ideological landscape of education across the U.S.
But, while conservatives celebrate, one school board leader warns that deep blue states like California are not only prepared, but determined, to fight back.
“While I’m excited about what he’s doing, I also know in places like California and Colorado and other states, we have to armor up and fight harder than we ever have because they are going to push more state laws to diminish what Trump is saying and trying to do,” Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) school board President Sonja Shaw said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“I think this is an amazing step forward. But, you’ll see in California our Department of Ed, Tony Thurmond, our state superintendent, [Governor] Newsom, they’re all buckling down and saying they absolutely will not do that. They’re ‘protecting all students.’ They’re forgetting about the girls that have had injuries on sports teams and have had their opportunities ripped away.”
President Donald Trump holds up an executive order after signing it at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
For Shaw, the fight hits close to home. In 2023, state Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against her district over a policy requiring staff to notify parents if their child expresses a “gender identity” different from their biological sex. The state argued the policy violated students’ privacy rights and that it could potentially harm LGBTQ+ students.
Trump’s recent executive orders have taken aim at progressive gender ideology and Title IX changes that occurred during the Biden administration.
One Trump executive order signed on the first day of his second term rolled back Biden-era guidance that offered Title IX protection based on gender identity by requiring federal agencies to implement policies based on the biologically-defined understanding of the male and female sexes.
Another, signed Wednesday, barred biological male athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
The Trump White House has also urged lawmakers to pass the Protection of Women and Girls Sports Act, which would ban biological males from participating on girls’ school sports teams by amending federal law to specify that student athletes must participate in school sports teams that coincide with their gender at birth.
Chino Valley School board member Sonja Shaw speaks in front of the state Capitol on bills related to LGBTQ school curriculum on Monday in Sacramento. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Since federal policy supersedes state policy, Alliance Defending Freedom president, CEO and general counsel Kristen Waggoner, whose group represents parents, educators and other school officials in cases involving free speech and parental rights, recently told Fox News Digital that the order affirming two sexes would likely have far-reaching effects on public education, particularly in areas like sports and housing.
Shaw said she’s “hoping” the executive orders could lead to the federal government getting involved in instances where state policies are contradictory. Despite opposing state leadership, districts like hers have already enacted conservative policies protecting parental rights while clamping down on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and progressive gender ideology.
With the nation’s report card showing scores have fallen behind in reading and barely budged in math, Shaw says attention should be drawn away from political activism and recentered on reading, writing and math and, to bring change, the fight for Californians is far from over.
“We still have to do the work here, and when our government – I call them the political cartel up there – doubles down on us, it’s almost, in a way, a gift, because then we have a choice. We know what they’re about, and we need to stop voting these people in and allowing the power that we’re giving them,” she said.
“In California, we had an extreme number of people coming out and voting for Trump. But then the majority elected the nonsense that’s up there in Sacramento. We have to start educating the moms, the dads, the grandmas and grandpas who – like myself a few years ago – were not involved in politics. This is why it matters for you to get to the polls. Take the time to mail in ballots…
“We have an opportunity this next election. We need to do that. We can’t scream and ask for help from Trump if we’re not willing to do the groundwork.”
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Fox News’ Jeffrey Clark and Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.