Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: "It's a Numbers Game: LAUSD Lawsuit EXPOSED: 1776 Project Challenges Racially Discriminatory School Assignments"

Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Ryan Girdusky (with guest Aiden Bozzetti)
Main Theme:
A deep-dive discussion on the 1776 Project Foundation’s lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), claiming racially discriminatory practices against white and certain Middle Eastern students in school assignment and funding policies. The episode also explores broader concerns about race-based policies, public education reform, and parental advocacy, while providing insight into related work done by the 1776 Project Foundation.

Episode Overview

This episode centers on Ryan Girdusky’s announcement that his organization, the 1776 Project Foundation, has filed a lawsuit against the LAUSD. The lawsuit challenges longstanding policies that allegedly discriminate against white students by affecting school funding, student-teacher ratios, and access to magnet programs based on racial quotas. Guest Aiden Bozzetti (president of the 1776 Project Foundation) elaborates on the lawsuit’s origins, the legal strategy, and broader implications for similar policies nationwide. The discussion further touches on issues in public education, the role of technology and AI in classrooms, and ways concerned parents can get involved.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background: The Genesis of the Lawsuit

• Ryan’s Motivation: Sparked by personal experience with his child’s school introducing controversial race-based material—“Race Cars”—and a desire to impact local education policy (04:00–06:10).
• Creation of the 1776 Project PAC and Foundation:
  • Ryan discusses the founding and growing success of the PAC in electing conservative school board members nationwide.
  • Noted lack of nonpartisan resources for school board members led to establishing the foundation to address K–12 education issues across ideological lines.
  • “School districts are like snowflakes. They all look alike from afar, but when you’re under a microscope, they’re all very, very different and their needs are different.” (09:20)

2. Discovery of the LAUSD Policy

• Policy Details: LA schools losing funding if their “white” population exceeds 30% (10:58–11:50).
• Policies rooted in desegregation orders from the 1960s–80s now function differently due to demographic shifts.
  • “[This] is blatant racial discrimination against whites. It is absolute racial discrimination and we have to do something about it. No one even knows about this.” (11:30)
• Described as “the first major education lawsuit regarding racial discrimination against white students in the country.” (12:18)

3. Explaining the LAUSD Policy and Legal Challenge

The PHBAO Program (Predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian or Other Non-Anglo) (18:04–19:31)

• Aiden Bozzetti Breaks Down the Policy:
  • Schools with less than 30% white students get extra funding, lower student-teacher ratios, more parent-teacher conferences, and additional points in magnet school applications.
  • “Through that PHBAO program…they use the racial makeup of their individual schools to assign specific preferences.” (18:04)
• Origins: Policy stems from a 1981 court order, which itself derived from decades-old desegregation litigation when LA schools were majority white.
  • The judge’s order reflected a need to close the lawsuit and did not anticipate the demographic reversal.
  • “What’s considered white is ever changing…there’s no strict terminology. It’s this moving goalpost.” (21:13)
• Current impact:
  • The designations now mean white, Middle Eastern, and some Latin American students are included in the “white” category, possibly affecting their opportunities.

Legal Grounds and Expectations (24:54–26:09)

• Anonymous Plaintiffs: Parents joining the lawsuit remain anonymous due to fears of retaliation from the district and community.
• Window for Others to Join:
  • “As of the day that we filed…there is about a month window where parents could join as plaintiffs on this lawsuit.” (24:54)
• Broader Implications:
  • If the suit is successful, this space will “serve as a model for other districts that are doing discriminatory practices.” (26:09)

4. Parent Reactions and Barriers

• Obstacles to Parent Participation:
  • Many parents with means have already removed their children from LAUSD.
  • Those remaining fear social and school-based retaliation.
  • “Convincing them to take part in this lawsuit…did require many extended conversations to give people assurance that they weren't going to face the social consequences and ostracization of their community.” (23:07–24:17)
• Acknowledgement of Parent Courage:
  • “The parents that did come forward are extremely brave for getting involved.” (24:17)

5. Expanding the Fight: 1776 Project’s Broader Work

• Beyond Race-Based Policy:
  • Working with school board members on issues like AI ethics, disciplinary policies, and celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary through civics education (27:00–31:27).
  • Developing guidelines for AI in schools: recommending no AI use before middle school, AI ethics in middle schools, and limited experimentation in high school.
  • Vigilance against “vendor waste” in school budgets—highlighting a Dallas case where a district had paid for three duplicative reading programs.
• Celebrating America’s Semiquincentennial:
  • Schools adopting resolutions to host civic events and incorporate founding American principles into curriculum.

6. Notable Quotes & Moments

On Policy Origins and Impact:

• “This is the first major education lawsuit regarding racial discrimination against white students in the country.” – Ryan Garduski (12:18)
• “What is considered white is ever changing…It’s this moving goalpost.” – Ryan Garduski (21:15)
• “If we don’t do it, no one’s going to do it.” – Ryan Garduski (11:47)

On Parental Decisions and Fears:

• “Many of the parents who could afford to took their children out of the public school system…The second was…they were afraid of retaliation.” – Aiden Bozzetti (22:41)
• “For normal everyday people…why would you want to push yourself in the firing line?” – Ryan Garduski (24:17)

On Broader Education Issues:

• “School board members need to do audits immediately upon entering office…Even school districts have immense swamp as far as crazy spending goes.” – Ryan Garduski (28:12–29:21)

On What’s Next in the Lawsuit:

• “We are willing to take this as far as possible. We are willing, if they want to take this to the Supreme Court, we are going to meet them at that.” – Ryan Garduski (12:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Ryan’s Backstory & Motivation: 04:00–09:30
• Discovery of LAUSD Policy: 10:58–12:18
• Lawsuit Announcement and Broader Relevance: 11:47–12:44
• Aidan Bozzetti Interview Begins: 15:49
• Explaining PHBAO Policy: 18:04–19:31
• Origins of the Rule / Court Order History: 19:31–22:00
• Reaching Out to Parents, Their Concerns: 22:32–24:17
• Process for Joining the Lawsuit: 24:54–26:09
• Nonprofit’s Work on AI, Discipline, Civics: 27:00–31:27
• How to Learn More or Join the Effort: 31:45

Resources & Call to Action

• Learn more or join the lawsuit: https://foundation1776.org
• Membership and updates: Sign up on the foundation’s website for news on the lawsuit and related projects

Final Thoughts

This episode is a primer on how historic policies can have unexpected, sometimes contradictory consequences due to demographic and societal shifts. It raises challenging questions about fairness, the future of race-based policy in public education, and the risks parents and advocates navigate when challenging the status quo. For listeners engaged with or curious about education reform, legal battles over equity, or civic activism, this episode provides both a compelling personal narrative and a detailed account of ongoing legal and policy fights.