VIDEO: One New Jersey Mom's Battle for Parental Rights and Faith in Schools
Alexandra Bougher, a mom of three from New Jersey and leader of Bergen County Moms for Liberty, shared her journey from concerned parent to outspoken advocate.
Bougher recounted how her advocacy began with noticing what her children were taught in school.
“It used to just be, be a good person, learn how to socialize with your friends, play outside. I mean, that was kindergarten, right? And now it’s ABCs. Now it’s like sit at your desk for eight hours a day. Don’t question what I tell you. It’s not how to think, it’s what to think,” she said.
She explained that her breaking point occurred during the COVID-19 era of virtual schooling. She overheard how teachers spoke to her children, then later challenged mask mandates.
“I wrote this whole letter to the school saying my kids are not going to wear masks. They said, ‘That’s not good enough.’ What do you mean that’s not good enough? I’m the parent. You’re not going to tell me what I can and cannot do with my kid,” she recalled.
That stand inspired her to start a Moms for Liberty chapter and begin working with other parents.
Her concerns extended to curriculum and new laws in her state. Bougher described New Jersey’s “Freedom to Read” bill as a cover for bringing pornography into schools.
She and fellow parents carried enlarged posters of sexually explicit material from books into the state capitol.
Lawmakers objected, but as Bougher pointed out, “We unveiled them and turned them around. The assembly saw and within like two or three minutes, cops came over and said, we were just asked to have you remove that. It’s inappropriate. You can’t show that here… Adults, right? So I said, ‘Sir, this is part of our testimony, and you know this doesn’t belong in schools.’”
Despite political pushback, Bougher sees parents waking up. “If we all stand together and we all say no, and everybody pulls their kids out of school, well guess what’s going to change? They want that tax money for those kids. We have to stand up,” she said.
Bougher also invests in the spiritual growth of the next generation. Bougher runs a Bible club at her local elementary school using the Navigators program.
“We started with four kids, we had 16 last year, and there’s more this year. It’s really the kids loving to learn about the Bible and God and Jesus, but on their own terms,” she explained.
“Again, we’re teaching them not what to think, but how to think, and giving them the tools. Like, hey, if you’re having a bad day, this is who you can turn to.”
Bougher’s passion comes from personal experience. Sent to a troubled boarding school as a teenager, she endured abuse without anyone to advocate for her. “My job is to be there, to look out for that, to think ahead, and to stop anything from happening, if I can,” she said.
For Bougher, it all ties back to faith. “When we moved to Florida, we started attending the church of 1122, and that’s when we finally learned about what a relationship with Jesus was, and it was transformative for our family,” she shared.
She continues to encourage others to step forward, no matter the opposition.
“Everybody needs to grow a set and really just say this is not going to happen to my children. I’m not going to put up with this, and we’re not going to allow it,” Bougher said.
Bougher’s story is one of courage rooted in love for her children and faith in God, serving as an example for parents across the nation.