PITTSVILLE, WI- God forbid a mother stick up for her wheelchair-bound, disabled daughter. Such is the case of Amanda Vogel, who objected to how her daughter was treated during a musical program back in 2023. Last year, Vogel shared the video on social media to explain why she decided to homeschool, something more and more parents are doing as the public school system continues to fail children.
However, the Pittsville School District got its collective panties in a bunch and threatened to invoke legal action against her if she didn’t remove the video from her social media accounts, Townhall reports. Apparently, free speech applies to radical leftists interrupting a church service in Minnesota but not a school mom trying to protect her daughter.
Libs of TikTok shared the video, which showed Vogel’s daughter shunned to the side during the music program:
According to The New York Post, the school district reported Vogel to local police, who showed up at her home twice last year. The school district then sent her a cease-and-desist letter accusing her of “defamation” in demanding she remove the viral video post. The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) picked up on the case and decided to represent Vogel. “Parents don’t surrender their constitutional rights when they speak about their children’s education, and shouldn’t have to respond to law enforcement at their home for a social media post like this,” Corey Brewer, an attorney for WILL told The Post. The video showed Vogel’s disabled daughter being cast to the side while her classmates were given active roles in the program. Incensed, Vogel posted the video to TikTok in December. “Watching her be placed off to the side while her peers stood together, and realizing no one noticed before the concert, was it for us,” Vogel captioned the video. “The solution was so simple. A row on the floor that included her.” “If something this visible was going unnoticed, what else was being missed when we weren’t around?” The video has over 11.6 million views and triggered outrage against the school district, The Post reported. Initially, Vogel changed the video from public to private after the school district objected, however she later put it back to public. WILL responded to the district formally on Dec. 19, 2025, after their cease-and-desist demands, notifying them that Vogel is considering “her next steps in defending her right to free speech.” “Our understanding, and we haven’t heard back yet from the attorney who we sent the letter to, is that the district was concerned about some of the comments on the post after it went viral,” Brewer said. “Based on what we know, the involvement of law enforcement was suggested by the school district attorney and was not a response to any direct threat to safety,” Brewer continued. It appears that the police were notified as a result of an attempt to intimidate Ms. Vogel. The cease-and-desist letter from the school district was reviewed by The Post and showed that Vogel received two visits, not from rank-and-file police officers in Pittsville, but from the chief of police. The letter read: “Please be advised that Renning, Lewis, & Lacy S.C., by the undersigned attorney, represents the School District of Pittsville (“District”). I am writing you on behalf of the District regarding your recent harassing and defamatory post on TikTok, which has resulted in millions of views and thousands of comments–many of them threatening and disturbing. Your post includes the faces of several staff members and sufficient information that members of our community have identified you and your child as residents of the District. The District has an obligation to maintain the safety of all students, staff, and community members present on our property for legitimate purposes. Indeed, as a Wisconsin public school district, we have the responsibility to maintain an educational atmosphere, to protect educators, support staff, property, and, most important, to preserve the safety and well-being of our students who are present to learn. We have reached out to you through local law enforcement to request that you remove the TikTok video. You initially agreed to remove the video, but did not followed [sic] through until after several hours and a second visit with the Police Chief. Due to your conduct, the District hereby demands that you cease and desist from engaging in any additional harassing and intimidating behavior toward District educators and support staff. The District will keep us apprised whether you comply with the above demands. If you ignore these demands, the District will report your conduct to law enforcement and explore pursuing appropriate legal action against you, which includes, but is not limited to, seeking a court order prohibiting you from continuing to defame the District and recovering damages related thereto. Be further advised that I have also informed District staff of their right to pursue appropriate legal action on their own behalf, in regard to your harassment and defamatory comments.” Brewer co-signed the response to the district, reminding them, “We assume you know that under the First Amendment, the school district, as a government body, cannot make a claim for defamation.” “As a governmental body, the School District of Pittsville violated [Vogel’s] First Amendment rights by sending the police to her door to tell her to stop speaking in public about the district.” WILL confirmed that the police chief was “polite and understanding” during his two visits. Brewer said this isn’t the first time that a school district attempted to silence parents through intimidation, noting other cease-and-desist letters sent to parents. “Parents have the right to speak up for their children. Using legal threats to silence a parent is outrageous,” Brewer said. “That’s why the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty is stepping in to defend her First Amendment rights.” Vogel is now homeschooling her daughter. The Post reached out to the attorney who sent the cease-and-desist letter, school district representatives, and the Pittsville Police Department for comment, none of whom responded to the request.
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