A Maryland woman has reported a Turning Point USA–affiliated high school event to Child Protective Services, prompting growing concern among parents and debate over student‑run conservative groups on campus.
Parents Question Safety and Oversight
The controversy centers on a December event held by a student group called Calvert County Club America (CCCA), which is affiliated with the national conservative organization Turning Point USA, at a Calvert County high school.
Local community member Nancy spoke at a February 12 school board meeting, saying she had filed a report with Child Protective Services over the event and that it raised serious concerns about student safety, parental rights, and oversight.
She said parents and legal guardians were not allowed to attend the gathering, and she argued that excluding adults from a student‑focused event created a "lack of transparency" and did not follow best practices for youth protection, according to Fox News.
Critics of the event argue that the way the group handled access and supervision could set a pattern for how political student organizations operate on public‑school campuses, KSL reported.
Nancy told the board that students are a "vulnerable population" and "especially susceptible to influence," suggesting that excluded parents cannot properly monitor what is being taught or promoted at such gatherings.
She also said that the lack of clear oversight and background checks for adult attendees could open schools to potential risk, which is why she felt compelled to file a CPS report.
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Students Defend Group and Push for Clearer Rules
In response, the CCCA president, a 17‑year‑old high school student, told the board that the group is a separate 501(c)(3) organization and not part of the public school system.
The student said his group tightened access to the December event after receiving "hate" and misinformation online, limiting entry to known adults such as volunteers and parents of attendees, and requiring parental permission for all students who participated.
He also rejected claims that the group had unsafe leadership, pointing out that he is a minor and has no felony record, and invited questions from the community.
Supporters of the group say the event was tightly controlled and that the report was a political overreaction aimed at discouraging conservative student speech.
The controversy has drawn coverage from outlets across the political spectrum, with some framing it as a safety‑focused parents' complaint and others portraying it as an attempt to target conservative youth activism.
The case in Calvert County comes amid broader national fights over Turning Point USA‑affiliated clubs in high schools and on college campuses, where such groups have faced protests and pressure over concerns about inclusivity and bias while members insist they are simply exercising free‑speech rights under the Equal Access Act.
Calvert County school officials have not publicly confirmed the outcome of the CPS report and have not announced any new rules specifically targeting TPUSA‑affiliated groups, but the incident has elevated calls for clearer policies on how political student events are supervised and how parents are informed, as per WFMD.
