“I would homeschool if I lived in Florida.” That is exactly what they want you to do. It’s not just in Florida. It’s coming to public schools in other states too.
Public schools are the foundation of democracy. Republicans are trying to bring PragerU Kids, a right-wing propaganda machine, into public schools. And here’s why. Republicans and Moms for Liberty want you to pull your kids out of public schools. They want you to either homeschool them or send them to charter schools.
Why? Anybody can own charter schools. An organization, a not-for-profit, a wealthy couple, and they don’t have to follow the same rules as public schools do. So they’re more flexible in selecting their curriculum.
That means they can put PragerU Kids into their school curriculum. When your kid is brought to a charter school, funding (the taxes you pay for public schools) is taken away from the public school your child used to attend. And it is given to that charter school, which the Republicans and Republican right-wing groups own. Do they own all charter schools? No. But they’re starting to pick up more.
Is This Just About Money?
No. I would bet that these charter schools owned by far-right Republican groups will not be promoting that their students attend college. Why? Because research has shown us that when people attend college, they are more likely to vote democratic. If they are unaffiliated with a religion and have a college or graduate degree, they are more likely to vote Democratic, which is why PragerU Kids has a lot of Christian nationalist themes.
College doesn’t turn kids democratic, and they don’t understand that colleges teach young adults to research factually and to think critically. And that is why the far-right groups do not want them to attend.
It’s a very simple concept. They’re trying to grow their base for the future. Why do you think they’re also trying to raise the voting age? Because they know that Gen Z votes Democratic. This is why they’re trying to collapse the public school system.
A Form Of Eugenics
Moms for Liberty in schools is a sick and twisted form of eugenics. They may not realize what they’re doing is a form of eugenics, but it certainly seems that way by making trans kids miserable. By making the LGBTQIA population feel unwanted and unwelcome.
We know that Moms for Liberty promotes taking mental health care out of schools. So what are we left with all these kids in crisis? Because they are being terrorized, they don’t have services to help with that. These kids will unalive themselves because trans and LGBTQIA kids turn into adults who usually vote Democratic.
They will come after disabled students next. Kids with medical needs. Anybody who is not white Christian evangelical. That is the highest population that votes Republican.
What Do We Do About It?
Protesting isn’t gonna do anything. People can show up at school board meetings, yell, make signs that support their kids, and try to get the attention of their local media. That will help, but that will not change Moms for Liberty and their right-wing propaganda machine from bulldozing over the public education system. This isn’t like a company that can lose money if viewed negatively in the public eye.
What we need to do is make them see that what they’re doing is not going to work. That means going after them legally with lawsuits, but many people don’t have those means, which is completely understandable.
What needs to happen is parents need to form groups in all of these states where they’re bringing this nonsense into public schools. Then announce they will teach the correct curriculum on weekends and after school at locations not on school grounds.
Show them that you’re going to undo what they’re doing. Hold banned book giveaways on the other side of the street from the school. Show them that their actions will not work.
I understand that, as a parent, you must decide. Will I keep my child in public schools that teach right-wing propaganda, or will I protect them by pulling them out? It is a hard decision, and I’m not minimizing that. But we have to fight against this because this will only get worse. Show them that they will not be able to grow their base.