The Gateway Pundit previously reported that a Pittsburgh mother, Kay Montana, is accusing Pittsburgh Public Schools of forcing her 17-year-old daughter, Nyla, to register to vote as a Democrat—without parental consent and with heavy political indoctrination.
According to Montana, her daughter was pulled out of class on Monday, September 23rd, and pressured to register to vote. To make matters worse, the school’s staff allegedly suggested that “if Donald Trump was elected, Black people would be doomed,” as recounted in a series of viral TikTok videos Montana shared.
Montana stated that she had not yet had the chance to talk to her daughter about the upcoming election and was furious that the school had taken it upon themselves to do so. “I am her mother, and I have yet to have this conversation with her. I have not signed any consent forms allowing my daughter to register to vote at school,” she said in her video.
Nyla, who will turn 18 on October 5th, also expressed discomfort about the incident. She explained that when she tried to defer the registration process, the staff member allegedly told her it was mandatory, and she had no choice but to register as a Democrat.
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In a text conversation with her mother, Nyla recounted that the staff member informed her it would be catastrophic for Black people if Trump were re-elected. “I wasn’t really paying her much attention,” Nyla said. “But she was saying how Trump is bad for Black people.”
Kay Montana wasted no time confronting the school staff responsible. In a recorded conversation, which she later posted to TikTok, Montana accused the school of overstepping its boundaries by projecting their political views onto her daughter without parental approval.
The staff member, a Minority Inspector of Elections, denied pressuring Nyla to vote for a specific party but admitted to discussing various political topics, including Trump’s policies.
The school staff member’s response was not satisfactory to Montana, who insisted that her daughter was being coerced and exposed to biased information.
"You projected your fears and insecurities on her, telling her if Donald Trump was elected, Black people would be doomed," Montana told to the minority inspector.
"I could have taken my daughter to register her to vote. I did not ask for you all to register my daughter to vote. I have not even spoken to her about the election yet. I am not a Harris supporter. I am a Trump supporter."
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Pittsburgh Public Schools issued a statement to The Gateway Pundit after the incident went viral, asserting that their voter registration efforts align with Pennsylvania’s Act 35 of 2018, which encourages civic engagement in schools.
According to the district, the student willingly participated in the registration process and was given guidance by a Youth Voting Engagement Advisor. The statement also emphasized that no political opinions were shared during the registration process.
Pittsburgh Public Schools said in an email to TGP:
A Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) parent recently posted videos on TikTok expressing concerns about her daughter's voter registration experience at a PPS program. The parent alleges that her daughter was pressured to register as a Democrat and that a staff member shared negative comments about former President Donald Trump.
The parent subsequently visited the school to address her concerns, recording her interaction with a staff member without their knowledge, and later posted this video to TikTok.
Act 35 of 2018, which includes the Assessment of Civic Knowledge – Pillar 3: Action, supports student voter registration within schools. In accordance with Act 35, PPS supports student voter registration as part of its civic engagement initiatives.
Schools are responsible for informing students about voter registration opportunities and offering necessary assistance, which may include one-on-one support. Furthermore, a Consent Decree permits public schools to function as registration agencies, particularly in providing services to persons with disabilities (94-CV-7671, E.D. Pa.).
To support this initiative, each high school has a Youth Voting Engagement Advisor who receives a stipend to guide students in civic engagement and voter registration activities.
The Advisor, featured in the video without consent, identified 19 eligible students for the upcoming November 5th election. According to the Advisor, the student was invited to step out of class to discuss voter registration, agreed, and completed the registration process.
The staff member, who also serves as a Minority Inspector of Elections, affirms that no political opinions were shared, nor was there any attempt to influence the student's party affiliation. There is no evidence to support the parent’s allegations.
However, Montana and her daughter’s version of events tells a different story—one of coercion and political manipulation.
“They never called me back, so this very moment. I have not spoken to them yet,” Montana said after the school released the statement.
“I want to make it clear that nothing here is alleged—the proof is in the video. My 17-year-old child was pulled out of class and told it was mandatory to register to vote. During this process, she was subjected to biased information, where negative things were said about one political party while nothing was mentioned about the other. The video of this incident has been posted and seen by millions," Montana said.
"I recorded it without their knowledge, just as they registered my 17-year-old without my consent. It's ironic that you can make a Facebook post but still haven't returned my 25+ messages. STOP PLAYING WITH МЕ!!!"
"I don’t give AF ain’t nobody discussing politics or religion with my children until after they are 18!!! Ain’t nobody about to indoctrinate mines and I stand 10 toes down on this statement," Montana added.
Montana has since announced plans to withdraw her daughter from the school, citing a lack of trust and respect for parental authority.