CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As some parents head to the polls this primary election, parental rights in schools are at the top of their mind.

Abigail Prado is the Union County Chapter Chair with Moms for Liberty. According to the chapter's website, the group advocates for schools "Free from mandates, free from indoctrination, free from discrimination, and free from sexual abuse through over-sexualized teaching materials and books."

What You Need To Know

  • Parents consider candidates who align on parental rights in schools this election

  • Moms for Liberty Union County want to see bans on transgender youth in sports on a national level 

  • Republican primary candidates for District 8's congressional seat align on their views regarding transgender youth in sports

Spectrum News 1 is taking a look at big issues for voters ahead of the March 5 primary elections. 

"I feel like I'm addressing the biggest threats to my children and the biggest threats I see in my community," Prado said.

For six months in a row in 2023, Prado stood before the Union County Board of Education asking them not to allow transgender girls into girls' spaces in schools.

"Allowing biological males into our girls' female-only spaces teaches our daughters that privacy and safety does not matter," Prado said in a meeting. 

Prado said she has concerns for transgender youth being in girls bathrooms, locker rooms and on their sports teams.

"I'm not going to allow the government to put my daughters in unsafe positions because they are trying to pacify a very small minority of the student population," Prado said.

In March of 2023, Union County Public Schools voted unanimously to require high school students to compete on teams consistent with the gender on the student's birth certificate. Transgender athletes would be allowed to compete on teams aligning with their gender identity if permitted by N.C. High School Athletic Association.

In August 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly overrode a veto from Gov. Roy Cooper, ultimately saying athletes who are born as biological males cannot play on women's teams.

It's an issue Congress has already started to debate. House Republicans approved a bill barring transgender women athletes from competing at federally supported colleges and schools. The bill, however, did not make it past the Democratic-led Senate.

"They're stealing girls' titles, records and scholarship opportunities. And we've seen massive, sometimes permanent, injuries when these girls are being forced to compete against boys," Prado said.

In instances across the nation, transgender athletes have won lawsuits after being barred from competition, saying bans based on sex and sexual orientation are discriminatory. 

Prado says as she heads to the polls this primary election, she will be looking for candidates who will fight for her views on the national level.

Six candidates in the heavily Republican District 8 are vying for the GOP nomination in the open seat: Allan Baucom, John Bradford III, Don Brown, Leigh Brown, Mark Harris and Chris Maples. All candidates are in agreement, wanting to keep transgender women out of women's sports.

John Bradford III voted on such legislation when it came through the North Carolina General Assembly.