Podcast Summary:

Scrolling with Hayley
Episode 261: Drag Queens, Abortions, Jabs & More In American Schools
Host: Hayley Caronia
Guest: Kyle Olson, Town Hall Special Correspondent
Date: March 23, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Hayley Caronia interviews investigative journalist Kyle Olson about his undercover reporting on student health clinics in New Mexico public schools. The episode explores how these clinics—increasingly embedded in schools nationwide—offer a wide range of medical and psychological services, including abortion referrals, "gender-affirming care", secret mental health counseling, and more. Hayley and Kyle discuss the role of teachers' unions, government funding, and activist groups in expanding these programs, highlighting concerns about parental rights, transparency, and ideological influence in schools.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

School Clinics: Then vs. Now

(06:00 – 09:00)

• Hayley reminisces about traditional school nurses (“band-aids and a place to sit with a stomach ache”), contrasting them with today’s in-house school clinics offering “resources for kids to get abortions and transgender surgeries and vaccines.”
• Kyle emphasizes how these clinics, supported by federal funds and teachers’ unions, now act as community health hubs for children, sometimes cutting parents out of the process entirely.

Medical Privacy & Parental Exclusion

(03:22 – 05:30)

• In New Mexico, children as young as 14 are treated as adults regarding medical privacy.
• Parents are kept in the dark under HIPAA regulations—even if they inquire, the school cannot disclose information without the child’s consent.
  • Quote: “[A] 14 year old could go into a school clinic and do whatever they want... and the parents are completely cut out of the process.” — Kyle Olson [04:02]

Teachers' Unions and the "Whole Child" Agenda

(05:56 – 07:52)

• The American Federation of Teachers and similar unions push for schools to serve as “the hub of the community,” providing not just education but meals, medical care, laundry, and more.
• The clinics, private or otherwise, often have extra layers of separation from the school, further limiting parent knowledge or control.
  • Quote: “Their ultimate goal is to make the school the hub of the community... a child could conceivably spend much of their existence in the school...” — Kyle Olson [06:29]

Secrecy, Language Games, and Activism

(09:08 – 13:37)

• Clinics may not operate directly as part of the school district and are sometimes private entities leasing school space.
• Teachers can refer children to these clinics, and strict confidentiality is maintained.
• Activist terminology is rebranded for billing and political purposes ("identity therapy" instead of "gender-affirming care").
  • Quote: “‘We can't call it gender affirming therapy. We call it identity therapy. Basically, it hasn't changed. It's just the way we have to name it in order for billing to take place.’” — Recap of drag queen staff at Health Leadership High School [10:45]

Medicaid, Outside Referrals, & Funding

(12:13 – 14:17 and throughout)

• Many clinic services are paid by Medicaid (thus taxpayers), including abortions and hormone therapy.
• If students can’t pay, activist groups may cover costs.
• Clinics readily refer students outside, including to organizations like Planned Parenthood, if services aren’t available in-school.

Impact on Parental Rights and Policy

(13:37 – 16:33, 32:49 – 36:46)

• Parental rights are diminished as clinics maintain strict confidentiality, even referring out without parental notification.
• Legislative and administrative efforts (Trump administration’s HHS rules; House-passed bills) aim to restrict these practices, though rebranding and policy loopholes continue.
• Hayley draws connections to debates over “Don’t Say Gay” and parental rights laws, emphasizing concern over “grooming” and ideological influence.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the role of parents:

  • “And their parents will be kept in the dark. So Town hall special correspondent Kyle Olson has obtained alarming undercover footage from New Mexico school clinics...” — Hayley Caronia [02:25]

• On medical privacy for teens:

  • “So a 14 year old could go into a school clinic and do whatever they want... the parents are completely cut out of the process.” — Kyle Olson [04:02]

• On irony in age restrictions:

  • “You have to be 21 years old to buy a pack of cigarettes... but 14 year olds have the mental capacity... about an abortion or... mutilating their body.” — Kyle Olson [04:43]

• On activism in clinics:

  • “We can't call it gender affirming therapy. We call it identity therapy. Basically, it hasn't changed. It's just the way we have to name it in order for billing to take place.” — Drag Queen Staff, paraphrased by Olson [10:45]

• On parental responsibility:

  • “Parents and grandparents, if you don't know if this is going on in your school, you should find out.” — Kyle Olson [06:56]

• On bathroom policies:

  • “It's just a troublemaker... She's protected, of course, through policy... If the girls feel uncomfortable... they have the option of coming to our restrooms too.” — School staffer, undercover clip [25:00]

• On normalization in the classroom:

  • “Our classrooms have become, for some of the teachers, sort of a place where they can espouse their personal political views when it has nothing to do with the curriculum.” — Kyle Olson [34:33]

Important Audio Clips & Timestamps

• Intro to clinics & medical privacy: [02:25 – 04:31]
• Discussion of teachers’ unions & “whole child” education: [05:56 – 07:52]
• Video 1: Undercover on abortion referrals [17:11 – 19:27]
  • Staff outlines how student can confidentially obtain abortion referral without parental involvement.
• Video 2: Bathroom/bathroom policy & transgender student support [23:30 – 25:41]
  • Description of a male-to-female transgender student accessing girls’ restrooms, school’s efforts to accommodate and protect under policy despite issues.
• Video 3: School clinics keeping secrets from parents (confidentiality protocol) [28:34 – 30:09]
  • Clinic staff confirms all discussions and referrals, including for “identity therapy” and outside medical services, are “completely confidential, completely free of charge.”
• Kyle’s advice for parents and community members: [32:49 – 36:46]
  • Emphasizes importance of attending school board meetings, running for office, and local-level engagement.

Actionable Takeaways

• For parents & guardians:

  • Directly ask schools what services in-school clinics provide and what their parental notification policies are.
  • Attend school board meetings and review local public school policies.
  • Be proactive about having conversations with children regarding issues around health, privacy, and ideology in their schools.

• For concerned citizens:

  • Understand that taxpayer funding enables many of these clinics and practices—engage with your local government and school district.
  • Vote in local school board elections, consider running for office, and push for transparency.

Episode Tone

• Unapologetically conservative, urgent, and critical in tone.
• Hayley is direct, often indignant or incredulous; Kyle maintains a detailed and investigative approach.
• Both express deep concern over loss of parental rights, ideological influences, and normalization of radical policies in public schools.

Where to Find More

• Kyle Olson:

  • Townhall.com
  • TheMidwesterner.news
  • X/Twitter: @KyleOlson4

• Hayley Caronia:

  • Socials: @HayleyCaronia

This episode is a dense investigation into the expanding influence and reach of school-based health clinics, raising critical questions about parental authority, government funding, ideological activism, and the future of public education. Recommended for listeners who care about education policy, parental rights, and ongoing cultural debates in American schools.