This Substack is now going to also be a place for ALL of Virginia’s Warrior Moms to tell their stories as well as my own unapologetic truth!
Amanda Kozak is a Powhatan Co, Virginia homeschool mom who contacted me Summer 2022 trying to figure out what in the world I was talking about. She grabbed it by the horns and charged full steam ahead finding the whole truth herself without having her hand held. If 5% of the parents I interact with on a weekly basis did the same - what a different Virginia we would be looking at!
I am beyond excited to share her story and journey with you because the brushfires of truth and freedom have been set here in the Commonwealth!
Virginia is NOT OK…please share our message so the nation stops believing the mainstream media lies before the lies we deal with become a Presidential problem! I hope you enjoy this new addition and Amanda’s small town Virginia story! - Anne (VaWarriorMom)
Never start a fight but always finish it.
By Amanda Kozak
Raising two boys, I have always said “never start a fight but if someone starts one with you, you finish it.” In August of 2022, I was just a mom scrolling my Facebook feed when I saw a post by Anne Taydus about "data collection." Now let me clarify, I am not just a "regular mom" I am a FIGHTER MOM. Some days I mourn the mom I was before 2020, so carefree and trusting of everyone including doctors and teachers. I had my moments of skepticism and always spoke up when something didn't feel right but felt if you went to school to specialize in something then you were the "expert."
Fast forward to present, I am the EXPERT when it comes to my children from both an educational and medical perspective. My kids have NEVER worn a mask and living in Virginia that was a hellacious fight. We did not succumb to the pressure of receiving the jab. My children have never set foot in a public school because of the COVID response and I have been homeschooling them which was an unexpected yet wonderful experience.
It is no surprise homeschooling has grown exponentially over the past 3 years. Most of my friends were masking their kids and sending them to school and I just couldn't do it. I was pissed off at decisions made by political figures and couldn’t stand the desire some had to control our population.
A lot of that frustration and anger has fueled me into who I am today.
So, I fight!
I fight the public education system even though my boys are not a part of it because the children in it are a part of my boys’ generation. These are the kids who will take care of me when I am old, who will teach my grandchildren, and who my kids will have to interact with their entire lives, so I fight for them. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things to fight about. First it was mask and vaccine mandates, then critical race theory and social emotional learning. Now it is pornographic books and the over sexualization of children. We have had our small wins through the years, but the big one, the mac daddy of fights is data collection!
After seeing Anne's post about data collection and doing my own research to verify I was floored. As a parent, I felt angry, stupid, and oblivious.
Why the hell had I not thought of this before? My kids aren't in public school but we use apps sometimes at home! I immediately put black tape over the cameras on their chrome books and emailed the Powhatan County Public Schools superintendent and school board informing them they were in violation of the law right as school was starting. I had a conversation with the assistant superintendent and she appreciated my "stakeholder feedback" and stated "she would work to improve notification and opt outs for parents." I believe one form was added and most of my friends whose kids are in public school are still uninformed when it comes to data collection and opting out.
I am sure most of my friends thought I was really off the rails this time. I posted on Facebook and some friends were surprised by it, but many probably didn't care or notice the post because it was that "crazy public school hating mom again."
For the record, everything I was “crazy” about from 2020-present I turned out to be correct and am a firm believer in researching my own questions to find the truth. My favorite quote is “be informed not influenced,” and it is a shame how many are easily influenced into believing lies these days.
I don't hate public schools as I am a product of them and was raised by a public educator. I hate what the public education system is doing to children today which is vastly different from when I was in school. When it comes to data collection, what really upsets me is kids grow up and become adults and they are being judged based on the story data depicts. These children aren't being judged based on their character, work ethic, or personality, just data. Just what a teacher quickly put into a system or what their answers to a test question reflected.
Their individuality is lost, gone forever. Data is making the decision and controlling the outcomes of children and the “American dream” no longer exists. The dream is now a nightmare of data determining who the “alphas, betas, and gammas” are of our society. Not to mention a lot of their private information is being shared with strangers and we don’t know how this will impact their future with college acceptance, employment, life insurance policies, and mortgages.
I traveled to China about a decade ago and was touring their schools with my mom and a group of educators from Henrico County Public Schools. We were told in high school that students take a test to determine who will become doctors, lawyers, engineers, and commoners. I thought it was insane and sad, and here we are, America!
Data collection is determining what your child will be when they grow up. After my initial “sound the alarm” Facebook post I let things simmer down and tried to focus on my boys.
Then, one day out of the blue, I received a message from Angie Miles with VPM. She found my public post about data collection on Facebook and wanted to interview me for a segment on data collection. Honestly, I had no idea what VPM or my PBS channel was, and I was skeptical but my gut told me to do it. Oh, how I have learned to trust my instincts these past 3 years. I really enjoyed working with Angie.
We may not have the same background or political beliefs, but we were able to bond over how wrong data collection is, and I am hopeful this data collection issue will unify our parents and communities.
Data collection is the fight that was started about 20 years ago, and it is our job as parents to finish it and win for the sake of our children and the future of our country!
Data watchdog group- Internet safety labs found 96% of Edtech apps are monetizing our children’s data to companies like Facebook, Google and Apple.
Watch HERE!
Thanks for your story, Amanda. You have been very effective! Great idea to include others from across the state in this substack.