Supporting Parental Rights

As you are all aware, the National School Board Association recently wrote a letter to the Biden Administration that asked for assistance, in all essence, in protecting them against parents who would very much disagree and express it at public meetings. They have even gone so far as to label them as possible “domestic terrorists”.

I signed on to a letter (that will be below) that expresses support for parental rights and denounces the intimidation tactics that school boards, the administration, and the justice department have used or expressed against parents. What many in government forget is that parents are who teach life lessons, social behavior, and other important social lessons for children to succeed in life.

This is the full text of the letter:

President Biden and Attorney General Garland,

As public servants, we are honored to represent our constituents and value every interaction with them. This is why we were extremely disappointed to read the hyperbolic letter written by the National School Boards Association (NSBA) to President Biden on September 29th titled, Federal Assistance to Stop Threats and Acts of Violence Against Public Schoolchildren, Public School Board Members, and Other Public School District Officials and Educators

In its letter, the NSBA states its belief that “public discussions and transparency by local school board members are important for the safe and effective operations of schools.” We could not agree more. Unfortunately, numerous incidents over the past year have demonstrated the opposite intent. We have seen a parent in Rhode Island publicly shamed, harassed, and intimidated by her school board for merely asking to see her child’s kindergarten curriculum. In Missouri, a school district official encouraged her colleagues to hide instructional material from parents

We condemn all threats and acts of violence against our public-school officials while also emphasizing the importance of free speech, open inquiry, and transparency. Civic engagement, especially at the local level, should always be encouraged by our nation’s elected representatives. Instead, the NSBA falsely labels some heated discussions as possible examples of “domestic terrorism and hate crimes” while encouraging federal intervention through the PATRIOT Act. This is nothing more than a blatant and deliberate attempt to intimidate parents around the country into silence and violate their First Amendment rights. We firmly believe that parents are best positioned to recognize the educational needs of their children. School boards must find transparent, healthy, and productive ways to listen and respond to parental feedback. Rather than viewing parents as the enemy, local school districts should treat parents as allies with the shared goal of maximizing every child’s potential.