We hear a lot from the parental rights movement about what parents want. But we’re seeing it from the right-wing extremist’s viewpoint only. This is part of pushing a larger agenda and defunding public education.
The truth is that parents are fed up with the culture wars in public schools.
Do parents want more access to public schools? Absolutely.
Parents want to be more engaged.
Do parents want schools to focus on high-quality academics? Absolutely.
They want to ensure that students succeed both in school and after school.
If you look at the data, they don’t want to control what other parents and their students learn in public schools. They don’t want their students learning to be controlled by other parents.
They want mental health support for students. They see value in having mental health support because that ties into academic success.
They want to ensure that it’s a partnership if a student struggles with mental health issues. It’s a collaboration between the parents, teachers, and the counselors supporting the students.
Parents want more access. They don’t want control. They don’t want to upend the school system. They don’t want books ripped off of library shelves. They don’t want arts programs to be taken away from the schools. They want more access. They want to ensure they’re as involved as much as possible in their child’s education.
Teachers Have Mutual Goals
Teachers want to make sure they are working with parents. When parents have questions about the curriculum, teachers want to have those conversations. They want to make sure that the parents are as engaged as possible.
That is a big problem in some public school classrooms. Bridging that gap between teachers and parents to ensure they are engaged and working for the best interest of the students.
The parent’s rights movement makes things sound as if there are spiritual conflicts. They suggest that evil forces are controlling public schools. There’s none of that.
Parental Rights And Common Sense
Listen to the common sense of parents.
Trust your own judgment as a parent. Trust your own judgment as a community member. Trust your own judgment as a voter.
You know your local teachers. You know your local administrators. You know the people that are in your public schools.
They likely live in the same community as you. You probably talk to them. They’re probably at your local shops. They’re probably dropping their kids off when you drop yours off at school.
This is not some mysterious parental rights group that you can’t understand. These are your friends. These are your neighbors. These are people that you’ve had experience with for years. Don’t let the parent rights movement run away with their messaging.
We need to work together across the country as concerned parents. Community members, teachers, students, and anyone wanting to be involved in public education. This is how we provide quality public education for all students and families.