Laura Zhiss explains how a seventh-grade homework assignment in her child’s Georgia classroom exposed biased, online-sourced material about Israel, prompting her to act. After finding inaccurate Teachers Pay Teachers slides and rising antisemitic behavior at school, she alerted other parents, her rabbi, and administrators. The school removed the materials immediately, but further review of the district textbook revealed additional issues. Over the next year, Laura filed open records requests, spoke at board meetings, and organized Jewish parents to push for accurate instruction. With support from CAMERA, the district ultimately rewrote its entire Middle East curriculum, retrained teachers, and implemented vetted, standardized materials. Laura then co-founded S.H.I.E.L.D. to help Georgia families monitor standards, flag biased content, and advocate for safe, factual education—showing that consistent parent involvement can drive real change. Laura Zhiss is a Smyrna, Georgia–based mom of three, small-business owner, and co-founder of SHIELD — Supporting Honest Instruction & Equitable Learning for our Diaspora. After uncovering biased materials in her son’s middle-school curriculum, she joined other local moms in advocating for stronger oversight, transparency, and teacher support. With a background in logistics, Laura brings structure, collaboration, and persistence to this work. Through SHIELD, she empowers families, partners with educators and community leaders, and promotes truthful, respectful instruction in classrooms across Georgia.
00:00 – Introduction 00:57 – Meet Laura Zhiss 02:22 – Jewish Identity in the South 05:51 – The Homework Assignment 07:23 – Gaza Strip Red Flag 08:31 – Biased Classroom Slides 10:56 – Connecting Bias to School Incidents 16:08 – Meeting with School Administration 18:12 – Unvetted Online Curriculum 25:44 – Discovering Textbook Problems 29:04 – Speaking at School Board Meetings 36:05 – District Curriculum Overhaul 44:10 – Founding S.H.I.E.L.D. 52:24 – SHIELD’s Mission & Impact 54:26 – Advice for Parents 57:05 – Closing Remarks