Don’t mess with mothers who have Facebook accounts.

I once asked my undergraduate students to join a Facebook group I created for our class. One student raised his hand and said, “I haven’t been on Facebook since my mom started using it a few years ago.” The rest of the kids nodded in agreement.

The kids may have left, but mothers have stayed and taken Facebook to a whole other level.

And they aren’t just posting pics of their children and sharing cheeky articles like 10 things only  a mother of boys understands and Super Awesome Crockpot Creations. Mom’s on Facebook are instigating a revolution.

In Florida, Moms are forming Facebook groups dedicated to taking back control of their children’s school experience, specifically regarding high-stakes testing.  Using Facebook, mothers have perpetuated the Opt Out movement  – refusing to allow their children to take state mandated tests. Opt Out Facebook groups for every district and city in Florida have popped up and are helping mothers navigate the complex world of education policy. Opt Out Orlando, the flagship group in Florida cofounded by Cindy Hamilton, Sandy Stenoff and Becky Smith, has almost 3000 members and that’s just one group. There are close to 30 more Opt Out groups across the state of Florida.

Moms are outraged about the way their children have been treated by the education system and by bad policy.  They’re mobilizing in these Opt Out groups, and they’re refusing The Florida Standards Assessment (FSA), which is Florida’s high-stakes test used to assess the Common Core.

*Disclaimer: Florida calls their standards the Florida Standards, which are a rebrand of the Common Core. Under federal law, states can change up to 15% of the Common Core Standards and still receive federal money. So that’s what Florida did; they rebranded Common Core to the Florida Standards and they bought a different test, the FSA.

However, lawmakers, the governor and the education commissioner aren’t fooling these mothers with a rebrand of Common Core or the test.

When I think of these moms on Facebook, I picture activists in the 60s and 70s sitting around a dimly lit kitchen table, leaning over papers and documents, communicating a plan of action, while their children sleep soundly in their rooms. Facebook groups like Opt Out Orlando have become that kitchen table.

Here are just a few of the infinite examples of moms pushing back using Facebook:

• To disseminate important information:

• To share Opt Out success:

• To share horror stories of what’s happening when they refuse the test and try to pick their kids up from school:

• To post ridiculous practice problems for the upcoming test:

• To make hilarious memes of their experience:

When asked about he meme she posted, this mother said, “It was more about empowering my son. At school he felt alone and afraid by his choice. But during the time we were at Starbucks and after school we just watched the “like” counter increase and he felt supported and brave. He had a community far bigger than his classroom behind him. THAT’S why I posted it. I wanted him to NOT feel alone.”

• To instigate calls to action:

• To empower each other:

As pushback from principals, superintendents and commissioners increase and attempts to control these mothers persists, the more moms take to Facebook. Cindy Hamilton, cofounder of Opt Out Orlando, says, “In the past week, Opt Out Orlando, and its 30 local district groups, has welcomed thousands of new members to the movement to reclaim public schools. Not to discount the men in this movement, women make up more that 90% of our group members. They are getting educated and involved in a revolution like no other. Feeling the power and claiming their rights.”

When asked what Opt Out Facebook groups mean to them, the replies from moms came in from everywhere.

Laura McCrary said, “As I got to know Cindy Hamilton and Sandy Stenoff, co-founders of Opt Out Orlando, I began to realize how much time they dedicated to researching every nuance that goes into the Opt Out process. What I found was a tight knit community with researchers spending more than 60 hours per week. Cindy Hamilton went out of her way on numerous occasions answering all of my questions, even on the phone. I have never met anyone more dedicated and courageous.”

Laura and others have gone on to start their own Opt Out Facebook groups, “I opened Opt Out Pinellas, and Opt Out Pasco with the help and guidance of Opt Out Orlando,” McCray says. “I watched the movement grow from a handful of district groups to more than 27. We are everywhere. We are informed.”

Nanette Cruz explained, “I’m new to the public school system this year. But I know that what I had observed in the past months wasn’t right. I was introduced to [Opt Out Orlando] by a co-worker. I quickly caught up to speed prior to the FSA and we successfully refused. ‪Cindy Hamilton and ‪Sandy Stenoff, who I have only met through email and phone calls, have been a great support. They are very knowledgeable and have a lot of passion for this movement.”

Marie-Claire Lemon described her experience as, “Opt Out Orlando is like the mother ship to which we return for our fill of information, inspiration, and to help us feel less isolated in this process. It gives us the confidence and capacity to build the movement in our own backyard and empower others to stand up for public education.”

And that’s what moms are doing all over Florida and all over the country – standing up for public education.

Those who make the rules in education have always been suspicious of social media because of its potential to disrupt schools. Mothers are not only using it to disrupt school, they are using it to dismantle bad policy and hold leaders accountable.

Politicians and educational leaders should take heed and never underestimate an informed group of mothers to do what’s right for their children. Never.