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Monday, October 7, 2024 - 03:00 AM

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

First Published in 1994

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

How to Advocate for Your Student

Over the last two years, the pandemic lockdowns gave parents a daily inside look at what students were learning. It’s no surprise they didn’t like what they saw and took their grievances to school boards across the country. Now that students are heading into a new school year, parents must again be motivated to advocate for their child’s education. One way to do this is by championing policies that teach students the truth about history and the truth about their bodies as well as loudly opposing curriculums that push harmful ideologies.

Eagle Forum firmly believes that parents should be able to choose the setting in which their child receives an education. Whether the choice is homeschool, private education, public school, or a mixture of these institutions, parents know the best path for their children. Sadly, it’s not always easy to know the options available. Each state approaches school choice differently. Some states provide vouchers to offset the cost of private schooling while others provide Education Savings Accounts. Some states even have laws where you can opt students out of certain public school courses. You can find your state’s school choice laws here and homeschool laws here.

An issue that has received negative attention from parents on both sides of the aisle is the implementation of critical race theory (CRT) in classrooms. CRT teaches that America’s past and present are rooted in racism. White students are told that they have “white privilege” and they are born racist, while non-white students are told they are victims in modern America. Books such as Antiracist Baby are being read to children in kindergarten. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) brought national attention to the book when questioning Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson’s ties to a school using this book as part of their curriculum.

Lawmakers at both the state and federal levels have introduced legislation aimed at banning CRT. Fifteen states have successfully passed legislation prohibiting this curriculum in the classroom and most state legislatures have introduced similar bills. In Congress, Representative Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) introduced the Stop CRT Act (H.R. 3179) which would block any federal funding of CRT concepts. This is in complete opposition to Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-TX) bill, the Civics Secures Democracy Act (S.4384), that would allow CRT to be implemented by federal grants. Bills that give federal money to schools always come with strings attached and those strings too often are used to strangle local control and parental input!

The Biden administration continues to push the dangerous agenda of sexual orientation and gender identity policies on America’s youth. Children as young as five years old are taught that they could be in the “wrong body” and that they should explore their sexuality. The U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) new proposed Title IX regulations paired with Biden’s LGBTQ advancement executive order force this ideology in schools. One egregious example is that school officials are required to hide from parents childrens confused feelings about gender identity. These regulations also expose young girls to biological boys in private spaces and force girls to compete unfairly against boys. Eagle Forum leaders recently spoke at a rally outside of the DOE to oppose the new regulations. You can also let your voice be heard by submitting your own comment to the DOE about these harmful policies.

One problem that is still lingering from the pandemic is mask and vaccination restrictions for school-aged children. Fortunately, states have significantly eased their policies for the upcoming Fall, but that doesn’t mean it will last. Some states have taken steps ahead of time to prevent this from happening again. Twenty states have banned student COVID-19 vaccine mandates and nine states have banned mask mandates. State legislatures may not feel that this is a priority anymore, but they need encouragement to stand up against future destructive mandates that affect our children’s education.

Eagle Forum continuously advocates for parents to be in charge of their children’s education. We have various resources on our website to keep you informed of your options, how to advocate for your child, and how to make a difference for generations to come.