Back to School: A Guide for Parents in Today’s Public Schools

As a former public school teacher of 15 years, I always felt excitement and anticipation this time of year. Stepping into the classroom, I would see eager eyes, all sizing me up as I did the same to them. There’s always the squirrely young man in the back—definitely someone to keep an eye on. And there’s the pre-teen girl with rolling eyes whispering to her friend—I think she will need a classroom job to keep her occupied.

The students are assessing me as well. They quickly take in the classroom. The American flag is prominently displayed. No rainbow flags, pink triangles, or Black Lives Matter posters are in sight. The classroom library is stocked with classics carefully selected to be age appropriate. I address them as “ladies and gentlemen”—no gender-neutral language here. My classroom looks no different from the average middle school classroom of the 1990s, but, oh, how times have changed!

Activists Posing as Educators

Just a few doors down from me is your typical activist posing as an educator. Let’s call her Teacher X. You know the type. She leans left, and I use leans like a skydiver hurling toward the earth leans out the plane door. Behind her desk is a Women’s March poster, a pink triangle taped to the whiteboard, and pronouns written next to her name. A Black Lives Matter flag and a rainbow flag are proudly displayed. Her shelves are lined with “banned books,” and she deliberately continues teaching while the Pledge of Allegiance is being recited during morning announcements. Teacher X has students fill out a survey, asking for their preferred names and pronouns. The next question asks whether the teacher should use the student’s preferred pronouns when calling home or should the teacher hide them from parents.

With the National Education Association (NEA), the largest teachers union in America encouraging its 3 million members to create classrooms like Teacher X’s, many parents and students find themselves in environments that look less like mine and more like hers. The NEA even suggests:

Displaying a Black Lives Matter, DREAMers, or Pride flag or poster is a great way to show your support for students and let them know that your classroom will be a safe and welcoming space. Many school districts or school boards have official policies favoring diversity, equity, and inclusion. Those schools may specifically encourage displays of inclusivity.

Guess what? Having rainbow displays and Black Lives Matter posters doesn’t automatically make a classroom safe and welcoming. In fact, for some students from families that don’t align with Everything Leftism, those symbols signal that the school is not a welcoming space for their beliefs and values.

Contrast that with teachers who maintain politically neutral classrooms like mine, focusing on the subject being taught rather than creating social justice minions. In a politically neutral classroom, all students can feel safe and welcomed by the professionalism and control exhibited by the teacher. In my 15 years as a public school teacher, I had one trans student. At the end of the school year, that student thanked me for a great class. Did I become their private gender counselor? Not even close. But that student was safe in my classroom because all the students were safe there.

Parents’ Rights

So what are parents to do when they prefer their child to be taught in a politically neutral classroom like mine rather than the rainbow-laden classroom of Teacher X?

Parents have several rights regarding their child’s education, many of which are protected by federal and state laws. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), parents can access their child’s educational records, including report cards, test scores, and disciplinary records. If a parent suspects that their child is being gender transitioned at school, this law gives them access to those records and possibly sue the school. A parent used the 14th Amendment to successfully sue the Monterey County School District for secretly transitioning her daughter.

Parents often have the right to review their child’s school’s curriculum and educational materials. This may include textbooks, lesson plans, and online resources. Academic transparency laws have been passed in many red states, but parents can request them from their child’s teacher. Some parents are using the sample letter like this (adapted from here):

Dear [teacher’s name],

My [son/daughter], [name], is in your [subject] class this term. I’m looking forward to seeing [him/her] grow this year, and I’m confident [he/she] will learn a lot from you. Thanks for all you do for our kids!

I’m sure you’re aware that there have been concerns recently in the community about political advocacy in the schools. Because of that, I and many other concerned parents are sending this letter to our kids’ teachers this year. I also want to open a clear line of communication about my expectations related to controversial topics in the classroom, especially politics.

Here are my expectations:

Please provide a lesson plan for my review if there will be class content, discussion, or assignments related to:

• race
• gender, gender identity, or LGBT issues
• sexuality
• equity

Please do not ask my child for [his/her] preferred pronouns, either verbally or on informational forms.

If there is anything I can do to help you, please let me know. I’m eager to see you and all of your students succeed this year.

Thanks again for all you do!

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Parents have the right to participate in their child’s education. Parents can meet with teachers and school staff to discuss their child’s progress, challenges, and educational needs. Parents should not be afraid to let make their presence known on their child’s school campus. If parents are concerned about their child’s teacher and what is being pushed in the classroom, they have the right to meet with school administrators to request a switch from that classroom.

In most states, parents have the right to opt their child out of certain activities or content, such as sex education, standardized testing, and controversial curriculum topics. This is where it gets tricky because opt-out forms are usually hidden in a pile of paperwork to be filled when a child is first enrolled and never seen again. Parents need to ask their district about the opt-out and opt-in policies, especially for sex education. Sex education is being given as early as elementary school in some districts. For example, the state of New Jersey recently adopted sex education and gender identity standards for students for K–12, and the only way a parent can opt their student out of the lessons is by writing a letter to the school administrators. The left-leaning nonprofit SEICUS is pushing for comprehensive sex education standards to be adopted nationwide, with federal enforcement. Parents need to pay attention to the laws and standards being passed in their state or nationwide so that they can be informed about what is being taught in the classroom.

Neutral No More

In short, concerned parents have no choice but to be involved. Gone are the days of dropping kids off on the first day of school and trusting that all public schools and teachers will give children a safe, politically neutral education that does not undermine one’s values and beliefs. Between 2019 and 2021, public trust in teachers declined from 63 percent to 57 percent among surveyed Americans, according to an Ipsos poll. I expect that number is much lower among right-leaning Americans. What builds trust is transparency, which is why it is more important now than ever for parents to know what is happening in their child’s classroom and exercise their rights to guide their child’s education.

Source: https://capitalresearch.org/article/back-to-school-a-guide-for-parents-in-todays-public-schools/