It’s clear that hot topics for conservatives in the upcoming elections, aside from election integrity, will be based on education and Critical Race Theory. Yes, conservatives finally have their eyes wide open to the progressive take over that has been occurring for decades in our public education system. The state of Florida continues to be the North Star for the conservative movement and a trailblazer in fighting for the rights of children and parents. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took a strong stance against Critical Race Theory by banning it from the classrooms and Florida House Representative Erin Grall drafted the “Parents Bill of Rights”, which successfully became Florida law. Many believe Critical Race Theory is inherently racist and should not be in our schools at all, but how involved government should be in our classrooms is a grey area. How long will “We the People” continue to rely on government to solve our problems instead of solving it ourselves? A conservative principle of course is limited government, and the truth is that government schools were an issue long before Critical Race Theory arrived on the scene.
Thankfully, moms in Florida have decided to be proactive and the conservative group Moms For Liberty has spread like wildfire across the United States. The mission statement of the group is “Fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating, and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.” Rising star and Moms For Liberty spokeswoman Quisha King has become a force to reckon with. She has gone viral several times on social media by challenging Critical Race Theory and LGBTQ issues being normalized in our schools. Where I agree with King, and to which she received a standing ovation, was in a public comment at the Pray, Vote Stand summit where she called for a “Mass exodus from the public school system.” Instead of inviting more government into our schools, conservatives should be advocating for and promoting legislation which increases school choice. King has provided education and resources for parents on how to leave the public school system on her website.
An opposing viewpoint comes from former congressional candidate and Republican nominee for District 7, Kimberly Klacik, who tweeted “If someone in the Republican Party tells you to take your kids out of schools because of CRT or move to a ‘red-state’ to get away from progressive policies… know that person is weak and they’re part of the problem”. This is a very interesting viewpoint to have especially since the National School Board Association recently labeled concerned citizens at the school board meetings as “domestic terrorists”. While Klacik states this position, she offers no solution regarding how parents fight local school boards and an administration that is standing at the ready to mandate masks, gender neutrality, and Critical Race Theory. King responded “Gotta disagree on the part about the schools. You can do both and you have to. I’m not leaving my child in a situation where they push CRT, gender theory etc. and push parents out (of) the conversation. School choice is good and creates the competition needed for them to cut the mess.”
Government has had a monopoly on our education system for decades, but it’s time for that to change. “We the Parents” need to exercise school choice options and take back control of the curriculum being provided to our students. If we want to change the current trajectory of our country, we need to take back control of our school systems.
