Additional Investigations Target Abuses Against Parents Across the Nation
Washington, D.C.—The Parents Demanding Justice Alliance (PDJA) applauds the U.S. Department of Justice’s probe into Unionville-Chadds Ford School District following parent Chad Williams’ complaint—calling it the first domino to fall. Williams, an attorney and father, is among the dozens of parents documented in PDJA’s national dossier of targeted families.
Williams alleges district officials retaliated against him by threatening his livelihood, defaming him publicly, and coordinating with state agencies to “bully him into silence.” He cites violations of his First Amendment, parental, and due process rights—including denial of transparency, refusal to meet about masking and closures during COVID, and use of third-party surveys without parental consent. He has filed complaints at state and federal levels, and the DOJ has reportedly opened an investigation.
PDJA has been working closely with DOJ Weaponization Working Group Director Ed Martin, senior officials, and allies in the administration to advance these cases. The Unionville-Chadds Ford probe is part of a widening federal push to hold accountable those who weaponized local and state systems against parents.
Other Federal Probes Already Underway
- Kelly John Walker (AZ) —Walker’s case epitomizes how a fabricated local hoax was weaponized into a federal pretext. According to Walker’s Dossier report, in September 2021, Vail Unified Superintendent John Carruth and Principal Diane Vargo falsely accused Walker of threatening staff at Mesquite Elementary. Video evidence proved otherwise, showing a peaceful office meeting where Walker de-escalated tensions. Nevertheless, Carruth pushed the false narrative to the media and the National School Board Association. Federal investigators are now reviewing the actions of Carruth, Vargo, and other VUSD staff, along with Tucson Magistrate Geraldine Hale, who revived charges against Walker—despite exculpatory findings by Senior Judge Anthony Riojas—and who imposed an unprecedented “Class of One” sentence on Walker of 100 days in jail and nearly $10,000 in fines for simple misdemeanor 3 trespass allegations. Meanwhile, credible death threats mailed to Walker’s home and coffee shop were ignored by the FBI, even as federal agents surveilled and pursued him relentlessly. This selective enforcement is now central to the federal probe.
- Sherronna Bishop (CO)—known nationally as America’s Mom—was one of the first parents to face armed federal retaliation. In November 2021, FBI agents raided her Colorado home, battering down the door in front of her children. The pretext was her outspoken opposition to radical school policies, ability to “connect people,” and her ties to Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who challenged election procedures. Internal communications show Garfield County School District officials branded Bishop an “extremist” and fed information to the Denver FBI office, effectively turning local disagreement into a federal case. The raid traumatized her family and sent shockwaves through her community. Federal investigators are now probing how and why the Denver FBI partnered with school officials to justify such unprecedented action against a suburban mother for lawful advocacy.
- Veronica Hale (AZ)—Veronica Hale, a former Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) substitute teacher with a Master’s in Education, fulfilled her duty as a mandated reporter by exposing shocking misconduct: sixth-grade teacher David Faulkner had allegedly placed two large mirrors beneath his whiteboard, angled to reflect the private areas of unsuspecting girls. Though Faulkner claimed the mirrors were present for only two months, photos prove they remained for over two years. Instead of protecting students, SUSD—under Superintendent Scott Menzel—reportedly retaliated against Hale. The district removed the evidence without documentation, exposed her identity despite her request for anonymity, and then supported Faulkner in a fabricated defamation and emotional distress lawsuit. After police and SUSD failed to interview Hale, students, or parents, she became a whistleblower. Evidence—including police reports, internal emails, concealed disciplinary records, and altered documents—shows SUSD obstructed the investigation and covered up prior complaints, even as Faulkner lied to police and officials. The Hales now face more than $500,000 in legal fees because the district refused to indemnify Veronica. Newly uncovered records reveal SUSD placed Faulkner on leave for “unprofessional conduct” just before discovering he had accessed pornography on a district device—facts concealed from the Court, the public, and the Hales. Faulkner and his attorneys, Jeff Silence and Jessie Ritchey, withheld these records, falsified evidence, and lied under oath, amounting to perjury, obstruction of justice, and fraud upon the court. Federal investigators are now reviewing whether SUSD leaders and their attorneys conspired to shield Faulkner while punishing the one educator who tried to protect children.
- Leah Hoopes (PA)—Leah Hoopes recently uncovered that she was a target of the Arctic Frost investigation as one of Trump’s alternate electors, while at the same time becoming a target of lawfare and of the NSBA. The same federal officials who targeted parents were also targeting those who filed election fraud lawsuits. A federal probe facilitated by PDJA into a Delaware County school district exposes a chilling pattern of government overreach targeting parent activist Leah Hoopes. A certified poll watcher, Hoopes faced retaliation after testifying about 2020 election irregularities, including restricted observer access. Her peaceful advocacy drew harassment from then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s agents, who interrogated her at home. The National School Boards Association’s 2021 letter to President Biden labeled Hoopes a “domestic terrorist” for opposing school mandates, a claim amplified in U.S. Senate hearings. FOIA documents later revealed premeditated DOJ targeting. Locally, Delaware County’s James Savage, backed by DA Jack Stollsteimer and Shapiro (now Governor), filed a baseless defamation suit to bankrupt Hoopes, while she endured FBI surveillance and state police scrutiny. Despite winning two defamation countersuits, Hoopes faced relentless lawfare. Insider evidence alleges Savage, Stollsteimer, and Elections Director James Allen colluded with the FBI’s Philadelphia office to obstruct election fraud complaints. Hoopes demands accountability: “This probe is a start, but the DOJ must expose this coordinated attack on free speech,” says Hoopes.
Background:
On September 29, 2021, NSBA officials Viola M. Garcia and Chip Slaven sent a letter to President Biden labeling parents “domestic terrorists” and urging federal intervention—coordinated with the White House and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
Days later, AG Merrick Garland issued the infamous October 4 “Garland memo,” directing federal law enforcement to treat parents as threats. No credible crimes supported it, no federal indictments followed, and many DOJ lawyers and NSBA members opposed it. Records show Deputy AG Lisa Monaco drove the effort, manufacturing justifications, overriding objections, and weaponizing federal power, while Garland rubber-stamped the plan.
The NSBA later disavowed the letter. New CEO John Heim admitted: “The sentiments shared in the letter do not represent the views or position of NSBA toward parents…we sent the wrong message, and we have apologized.” His admission confirmed DOJ leadership had been searching for any legal theory to justify federal involvement in local matters.
By issuing the memo, DOJ leadership ensured that prosecutions of parents—even in local courts—were federally guided and pressured. For Kelly John Walker, whose case was handled in Tucson, the federal framework dictated the tone: dissenting parents were to be treated as threats. His prosecution—like many others nationwide—was federal in origin, local in appearance.
Statement from PDJA
“Chad Williams’ case is the start of a long-overdue vindication of brave parents targeted by a fraudulent operation masterminded by Lisa Monaco and rubber-stamped by Merrick Garland,” said Sam Sorbo, PDJA Co-Founder. “Under President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi, federal authorities are finally beginning to confront abusive superintendents, principals, school officials, and even law enforcement. These probes will not stop until every parent is vindicated and every ounce of weaponization dismantled.”
“This ‘massive fraud against the American people’—as numerous state attorneys general called it in 2021—weaponized our government against families like mine,” said PDJA Co-Founder, Walker. “They stripped us of everything under a sinister pretext, believing they could intimidate us into silence. That was a grave mistake. Their assault only fueled my resolve, driving me to devote four years to securing justice and restitution for families nationwide. As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn warned, ‘You only have power over people as long as you don’t take everything away from them. But when you’ve robbed a man of everything, he’s no longer in your power—he’s free again.’ They did their worst; now it’s our turn to do our best.”
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About: The Parents Demanding Justice Alliance (PDJA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Kelly John Walker and Sam Sorbo to defend the rights of parents and protect American families from political persecution. Formed in response to the October 4, 2021, “Garland memo” that labeled concerned parents as potential “domestic terrorists,” PDJA documents abuses, advocates for justice, and provides direct support to those targeted for standing up for their children’s education and constitutional rights. Through public awareness campaigns, congressional engagement, and legal advocacy, PDJA is committed to ensuring such abuses never happen again and that victims are fully restored. We are committed to documenting cases, coordinating with federal investigators, and demanding full restoration and restitution for targeted families. Report using this form.
