Chip Angell initially struggled to comprehend the woman’s narrative. She called him in late spring, when the warm sun transformed into a cool evening breeze, creating the perfect atmosphere for a leisurely stroll around the town square. Angell, a lawyer, operates his practice from a shop near the square. For the past five years, he has been providing legal support to workers earning $6 to $7 per hour. These individuals face issues such as bankruptcy, insurance complications, and general misfortune. Although Angell’s clients all share stories of hardship, this particular woman was so overwhelmed with distress that her words and thoughts were incoherent. Angell recalls her tearful statement, "I can’t believe they’ve done this."
Gradually, the pieces of her story began to align. She explained that a counselor from the local middle school had taken her 13 and 15-year-old daughters to a county health clinic. According to Angell, the girls were provided with birth control pills and condoms at the clinic. Additionally, they underwent Pap smears and AIDS virus tests. The counselor ferried them to the clinic during school hours using her own vehicle. However, the woman and her husband were not informed about these activities by the school officials. When they confronted the counselor to request the test results, they were met with the response, "It’s none of your business."
This incident became the basis for a $3 million lawsuit initiated by Angell on behalf of the parents, Waymon and Sharon Earls. The lawsuit asserts that the school officials in Stephens County violated the Earls’ "parental rights" as stipulated in the U.S. Constitution. Legal experts believe that this lawsuit has the potential to reach the U.S. Supreme Court, making it a groundbreaking case. However, despite its filing eight months ago, the case remains stuck in a federal courthouse in northern Georgia. Justice, in Angell’s words, is moving "as slow as rust on a hubcap."
Nevertheless, the Earls’ story is making significant waves in political circles. Although Angell is likely years away from a chance to plead their case before the Supreme Court, he has already found a receptive audience in Washington, D.C., particularly in the U.S. Senate located across from the high court. In December, he testified in support of legislation that emphasizes parental rights. In a packed hearing room and with a national television audience, he recounted Sharon Earls’ frantic phone call and Waymon Earls’ tearful admission that his daughters had been "stolen" from him.
While Stephens County school officials faced a civil court lawsuit, the policy arena proved to be their true battleground. Even before the deposition of the first witness commenced, the allegations against them reverberated nationwide, portraying school authorities as arrogant and abusive. These claims were wielded by lawmakers as evidence of widespread abuse of power within the education system. The unexpected path that this rural north Georgia lawsuit took to reach the halls of Capitol Hill illuminates the growing movement for parental rights. Legislative bodies across the country are endorsing parent-rights bills, and emotional debates driven by stories like this one frequently fuel the discussion. The phrase "parent rights" has recently emerged as a rallying cry, distinct from other rights movements. Unlike those who advocate for other rights, supporters of this movement do not seek protection from the government but rather protection from the government itself.
"I am an attorney practicing in a rural area," Chip Angell stated before the Senate committee in December, and that statement couldn’t have been more accurate. Toccoa, with a population of 15,000, is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, bordering North Carolina and Tennessee. The region is known for its small manufacturing businesses, which play a significant role in the local economy, producing everything from chemicals to coffins.
Waymon Earls is the owner of a tow-truck service and junkyard, and his wife runs a beauty salon. They have seven children, including Judy and Janie, the teenage girls who are joining them as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. According to court documents submitted by the Earls, they have strived to create a nurturing, Christian home with strict rules against adolescent sexual activity, deceitful behavior, and disobedience towards parental authority. The Earls have chosen not to speak with the media since initiating the lawsuit.
Chip Angell recalls that Sharon Earls, in her quest for contraband cigarettes, stumbled upon prescription birth control pills and colored condoms while searching her daughters’ room. When confronted by their mother, Judy and Janie admitted to visiting the health clinic with their school counselor.
Angell remembers Sharon Earls sharing this story with his wife one day during a nail appointment. She suggested that Chip might be able to provide assistance. Having previously clashed with the district officials after an unsuccessful campaign for the school board, Angell was known for fearlessly addressing such situations. He filed a lawsuit against the Stephens County school district on behalf of the Earls on June 8. Notably, several school officials, including Superintendent Ed Mills and his wife Ann, the middle school counselor, were named as defendants. Ed Mills, who grew up in the area, returned to his hometown after college to teach social studies at the middle school for almost two decades. Locals recall him as popular among students, and his success led to his election as county superintendent in 1992. Ann, who moved from Atlanta to Toccoa at the age of 25 to become the county’s first middle school counselor, married Ed in 1975.
Ed and Ann Mills’ seemingly idyllic life is marred by Angell’s scathing criticism of the couple. Angell, a South Carolina native and graduate of The Citadel, not only holds a Juris Doctor but also serves as an ordained Anglican priest. He skillfully combines passion and logic to argue that the Mills violated the sanctity of the family, which he considers to be the holiest of all. While he acknowledges that school officials and other government figures may have good intentions, he believes they are influenced by a liberal political agenda. "They are obsessively focused on our daughters’ reproductive systems. It’s absurd. What does that have to do with education?" Angell questions.
In just a few short weeks after the lawsuit was filed, there was a lot of media attention and the case was ready to move into the realm of public policy where the rules of fair play are more flexible. When the leaders of the Georgia chapter of the Christian Coalition announced their legislative agenda for 1996, they placed parent-rights legislation at the top of their priorities. They had received reports from various "pro-family" organizations, including the Southeastern Legal Foundation, that suggested public agencies were infringing on these rights across the state. Among all these stories, the Earls’ lawsuit clearly highlights the need for legislation, according to Jack Gibbs, the executive director of the coalition. He believes it exemplifies the problem of government interference in families, as well as the prevailing attitude among government workers in schools and clinics nationwide: that they know better than families when it comes to raising children and can do a better job.
The coalition holds significant influence in the state, with national coalition leaders regarding the Georgia chapter’s grassroots operation as one of the best. In the 1994 elections, the group distributed 1.7 million legislative "score cards" detailing candidates’ positions on the key issues. This year, their goal is to distribute 2.5 million score cards.
Even before the press conference, the coalition’s political power had already advanced the cause of parent rights. State Senator Richard Marable, the chairman of the Senate education committee, conducted a hearing in November on the proposed constitutional amendment. Although he is not inclined to support the amendment, he explained that he wanted to give fair consideration to parent-rights issues, recognizing that a bill addressing these concerns would likely receive prominent attention on the coalition’s legislative score card.
"When that score card is released, there will be one simple question: ‘Are you for or against parents’ rights?’" he said. "If you oppose a specific piece of legislation, even if you generally support parents’ rights, it will be labeled ‘Does not support parents’ rights.’ So it’s important to carefully examine it."
During his testimony to the committee, Angell received calls from other individuals who had also been victimized by the government, indicating that this incident was not an isolated one. He stated that these occurrences were not confined to a specific region but were happening in various parts of the country, including the rural areas and Bible Belt in the South, as well as potentially in the Western states. Angell expressed that passing this law should not be necessary, but due to the infringement of rights and the intrusion into families, it has become crucial. In the real world, these issues are occurring and need to be addressed.
Other witnesses at the hearing also presented a similar distressing view of the challenges faced by American families. Representative Largent reported that violations of parental rights were happening across the entire nation, regardless of the geographical location. He shared an example he read in USA Today about a county in North Carolina that enacted a law requiring specific bedtime for children. This meant that parents could potentially face legal consequences, including jail time, if their children exceeded the designated bedtime limit.
During a hearing on parent-rights legislation in the Georgia House on October 23, further shocking accounts were presented. Although no official record of the hearing was maintained, a transcript was compiled from an audio recording made by one of the supporters of the bill, which is now being circulated among legislators. Approximately 25 parents spoke at the hearing, sharing troubling stories that suggested educational authorities were acting erratically. According to these accounts, parents were deceived, lied to, and their children were subjected to experiments without their consent.
Remarkably, at least two parents claimed that schools were using hypnosis on children. A woman from Cave Springs in Floyd County recounted an anecdote shared by her daughter’s friend, Amber, about a science teacher’s relaxation techniques following an exam. Amber claimed that everyone around her experienced an altered state of consciousness, and levitation was even practiced in her science class, with classmates lifting fellow students off the floor. Another parent claimed that 5th graders in Lee County were shown a movie titled "Good Touch, Bad Touch" that depicted a grandfather molesting his granddaughter, homosexuals holding hands, and a man exposing himself. The woman warned that if nothing was done about these matters, lawmakers would face a potential revolution sparked by parents rather than economic, political, or tax-related concerns.
The parent-rights advocates presented a simple equation to lawmakers: the horrifying stories shared in Grassley’s hearing and the accounts from Georgia highlighted the problem, and the legislation proposed was intended to provide the solution.
In the Toccoa case, presenting the opposing side of the story proves to be challenging as the lawyers representing the district are restricted in what they can disclose. In court, they admit that Ann Mills transported each of the girls separately to the clinic. However, they deny allegations that Mills or any other school officials suggested the trip or encouraged the girls to obtain contraceptives. Phillip Hartley, one of the district’s lawyers, emphasizes that the school system’s approach to such situations involves strongly urging students to discuss the matter with their parents first. If parents are unavailable, the counselors recommend involving other trusted individuals such as family members, clergy, or other confidants. Moreover, when it comes to counseling on sexual activity outside of marriage, the school system advocates for students to abstain from such behavior.
Hartley explains that in certain rare cases, school officials may possess information that necessitates connecting students with relevant state agencies. However, this may conflict with a student’s right to inform their parents, making it a challenging decision. School officials always strive to prioritize the best interests of both the student and their parents when making such calls. However, Hartley refrains from offering additional details, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, commonly known as the Buckley Amendment. This federal law safeguards students’ privacy rights and hampers Stephens County’s ability to publicly defend itself.
Superintendent Ed Mills initially provided comments to local newspapers after the lawsuit was filed, aligning with Hartley’s statements. He affirmed that no policies or laws were violated, asserting that schools are assuming responsibility for matters that go unaddressed at home. "We have to intervene when parents fail to do so," Mills conveyed. He further expressed that there is more to the case than what is currently known, but due to constraints, he could not disclose additional information at the moment.
Angell and officials from the Southeastern Legal Foundation dismiss such claims made by the district, asserting that they are deliberately obscuring their defense because they knowingly violated the law.
Neither of the girls currently attends the Stephens County schools. According to Angell, Janie is receiving education at home, while Judy, the younger girl, has been enrolled in a boarding school in South Carolina operated by the Daughters of the American Revolution. However, the Earls’ three other school-aged children still continue to attend county schools.
Will the Earls’ story be able to influence lawmakers to support bills that protect the rights of parents? It is possible that these stories of horror might not have much impact on the legislative process. Angell rightly points out that serious discussions among lawmakers mostly occur behind closed doors. Public hearings such as Grassley’s are often merely staged performances aimed at gaining media coverage and public support.
"I was aware that I was out of my depth," Angell reflects on his appearance on Capitol Hill. Other witnesses on that day included renowned constitutional scholars, psychologists of national renown, and high-ranking officials from prestigious organizations. "I didn’t read out my statement because I knew my role was that of a commentator. And that’s exactly what I played."
The future of parent-rights legislation in Congress largely lies in the hands of Republican Party leaders. Some observers on Capitol Hill speculate that the GOP might prioritize social legislation, including Grassley’s bill, during an election year, while others believe the party will focus on essential economic matters. In Atlanta, the political outlook is also uncertain.
Yet, Angell holds onto the belief that it is possible for lawmakers to pass a parent-rights law before he has to once again present the Earls’ story in front of the Supreme Court. Such legislation would likely render his case irrelevant. "I genuinely feel like I have emerged victorious," he asserts. "Even if we lose the case, I still consider it a win. I have made my mark, and that cannot be undone. I have won."
