Parents Defending Education Files Lawsuit Against Sequoia Union High School District
Hi all,
I have good news. Yesterday, Parents Defending Education filed a lawsuit against Sequoia Union High School District for failing to disclose public information regarding the censorious take down of my film, Killing America, as well as the trailer, from Youtube, Vimeo, and Substack.
If we lived in a time where public servants and employees felt a responsibility to be transparent with the public, this lawsuit would not have happened. Instead, we live in ideological times where too many public figures believe loyalty to ideology gives them license to ignore the very laws and rules they’ve sworn to uphold.
I’ve seen this happen one too many times. For example, Diana Blum, the main subject in the documentary, pursued her own line of inquiry into who exactly was behind the censoring of Killing America. She submitted the below request asking for an investigation into Menlo Atherton High School Principal Karl Losekoot (remember he’s the one that called Killing America ridiculous and propaganda) and Journalism Teacher John McBlair:
This investigation was conducted in-house by Todd Beal, Sequoia’s Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources. When contacted by him, I asked why I should trust the district to investigate itself. He basically said, trust me. He produced this sloppy response that ignored the crux of Diana’s initial complaint:
However, Beal’s response revealed key findings. Both Losekoot and McBlair knew the students were taking legal action against my film. According to the district’s rules, only the Board can take legal action. Losekoot and McBlair failed to inform the Board of the student’s actions or take proper steps to stop the students, costing me considerable damages.
Diana then filed a lengthy appeal on these grounds:
Todd Beal and the Board, playing judge, jury, and executioner, refused to consider the appeal and sent Diana this curt notice yesterday:
I detail this to show how it is impossible or nearly impossible for one citizen, one parent, to make any headway with ideological school districts these days.
That is why I am grateful to Parents Defending Education headed by Nicki Neily for filing this lawsuit. They are the intelligence and muscle that we need these days to rid schools of ideologies that teach lies in the classrooms, such as the ones that we exposed in Killing America. No wonder why they wanted the film censored.
Here is the full lawsuit:
Their write up:
Parents Defending Education Files Freedom of Information Request Suit Against Sequoia Union School District
06/13/2024
LAWSUITS
Redwood City, California — Parents Defending Education (PDE), a nationwide membership organization whose members oppose political indoctrination in America’s schools, filed a complaint in the Superior Court of San Mateo County, California against Sequoia Union School District for violations of the California Public Records Act and California Constitution Article 1.
This is a lawsuit to enforce the right to inspect public records under Article I, §3 of the California Constitution and the California Public Records Act (“CPRA”), Cal. Gov’t Code §7921.000 et seq. Plaintiff and Petitioner Parents Defending Education (“PDE”) requested records from Defendant and Respondent, the Sequoia Union High School District, but the District is withholding requested records without lawful justification. PDE seeks a writ of mandate, declaratory and injunctive relief, attorney fees, and costs.
In early 2024, filmmaker Eli Steele released a new documentary: Killing America: Can America’s Schools Be Saved? The film highlights rising antisemitism in the Bay Area public schools and focuses on Menlo-Atherton High School in the Sequoia Union High School District in particular.
Steele’s documentary features photos and short video clips originally created by Menlo-Atherton’s student newspaper, the M-A Chronicle. The editorial board of the M-A Chronicle accused Steele of copyright infringement for using this content, demanded that he remove it from his film, and convinced multiple online platforms to remove the video. Steele maintained that his inclusion of the photos and videos was protected by the Fair Use doctrine, and the M-A Chronicle ultimately decided not to pursue a legal claim against him.
In furtherance of its mission to prevent corrosive and discriminatory ideologies from influencing K-12 education, PDE submitted a CPRA request to the Sequoia Union High School District for records related to this controversy. PDE seeks to uncover the extent to which the M-A Chronicle’s efforts to silence criticism of the District were supported by taxpayer dollars.
The District partially denied PDE’s request, citing inapplicable CPRA exemptions and privileges that have nothing to do with the law governing disclosure of public records. The District’s refusal to produce the records is unjustified, and PDE respectfully requests that this Court order the District to produce the requested records.
Many of you have supported us throughout this process and I am very thankful. I will keep you updated. Have a great weekend,
Eli
Excellent. . Win for the good guys.
You and your dad are heroes. You stand your ground. Thank God.