A fellow parent recently said about me: “Natalya has been ahead of the pendulum swing on nearly every issue we’ve discussed. Wokism, gender issues, and now the long-term harm of school closures.”
Being ahead of the curve isn’t always comfortable. In 2021, when I sued Mayor de Blasio to reopen schools and co-founded #KeepNYCSchoolsOpen, I was called reckless. Then, when we fought mask mandates with #MaskLikeAKid, we were dismissed. Now, in 2025, 15 DAYS: The Real Story of America’s Pandemic School Closures has crossed 1 million views on X, and the conversation has shifted entirely.
The past few weeks have proven something I’ve known since we started filming: this story needed to be told, and people were desperate to hear it.
My Voice, Your Stories
I’ve been writing and speaking about what we documented in 15 DAYS across multiple outlets:
The Daily Signal published my piece on how mothers across America united and are ready to fight back—exactly the movement Restore Childhood was built to support.
The New York Post ran my op-ed connecting our film to the broader reckoning parents are demanding. After years of being gaslit, parents are finally being heard.
The Epoch Times featured my conversation with my dear friend Jan Jekielek in a deep dive on how school closures “irrevocably harmed a generation.” Jan understood immediately what we were documenting: systematic institutional failure that prioritized politics over children.
And The Christian Post called 15 DAYS “essential viewing,” recognizing it as both historical documentation and a call for accountability.
15 DAYS, drawn from nearly 60 interviews including Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and Dr. Scott Atlas, isn’t just vindication. It’s ammunition. Parents now have a tool to show school boards, legislators, and neighbors exactly what happened and why it can never happen again.
Taking 15 DAYS Across America
Over the past month, we’ve brought the film directly to communities: Grand Junction, Colorado; New Canaan, Connecticut; Orlando, Florida; Austin, Texas. Each screening has packed the room with parents who lived this nightmare and are determined to ensure it never happens again.
Tomorrow, Monday, November 17, we’re bringing it home to New York City for our premiere screening hosted by the Manhattan Institute. This is one of our most important screenings yet—hosted by an institution that stood firm on evidence-based policy when so many others buckled. A fantastic panel by Manhattan Institute senior fellow John Tierney and featuring film participants Dr. Kristen Walsh and Garrett Morgan will follow the screening.
If you’re in the New York tristate area, please come.
Register here with code FRIENDOFMI to attend as our guest.
The documentary shows Randi Weingarten as the clear orchestrator of prolonged closures—something that will resonate with every parent who watched their child suffer while teachers’ unions held schools hostage. But it’s bigger than Randi. It’s about rebuilding trust in institutions that betrayed our children.
Coming soon to a community near you. We’re building momentum, screening by screening, conversation by conversation.
Why This Matters Now
We’re at an inflection point. The people we interviewed for 15 DAYS—like Dr. Bhattacharya—are now in positions to ensure this never happens again. The parents who fought alongside us are now school board members, legislators, and movement leaders.
Being ahead of the pendulum swing means weathering the initial backlash. But when the pendulum finally moves? That’s when change happens.
See you tomorrow night in New York.
— Natalya