Texas parents are taking more seats in Congress to take back control of their children’s education, and we’re within reach of the holy grail of education: the Educational Savings Account (ESA). Never before have we come so close to empowering parents to choose the best school for their child, rather than being assigned a school by the government.
Hillary Hickland is just one of the thousands of moms I met at parent empowerment events who were unhappy with their children’s public schools. Texas Governor Greg Abbott and I have traveled the state and heard from parents about a lack of transparency and respect for their wishes for a quality education free from cultural indoctrination. (Related: Roy Maynard: Amateur Historian Rebels Against Rebellious Scholars)
Until Hillary realizes what thousands of parents across the country have realized, that the new public system is set up to ignore parents, lower education standards, and shift focus away from academics, at least at the PTA level. Far beyond, I had no intention of getting involved in Texas education. Excellence in progressive social issues supported by trade unions.
Like many parents across Texas, Hillary discovered sexually explicit books and materials in public school libraries and researched what the Belton Middle School library had to offer her children. . She found many of the titles she had heard of. “These books contain stories and graphics that normalize child sexual abuse, sexual assault, incest, substance abuse, and suicide,” she told me.
And to her surprise, the administrators had a powerful strategy to fight her to make these materials accessible to young children. So Hillary joined thousands of parents in this Congress, but we’re just getting started.
At the regular session, which will end on May 29, lawmakers made significant progress on child protection. beginning, Texas passed law Protect them from experimental and potentially harmful transgender medical procedures.
Next, lawmakers responded with strong language to the concerns of parents like Hillary. Educational transparency Measures—Schools will be required to make the curriculum and all extra-curricular materials available to parents through online portals.
another invoice, HB900provides parents with greater transparency and respect for school library materials by recognizing them as the primary decision makers in their child’s access to the school library. The bill also prohibits vendors from providing sexually explicit materials to schools. (Related: David Blackmon: Is Texas turning its back on renewable energy?)
In higher education, Texas has also benefited by eliminating the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office and initiatives at Texas public universities and reforming tenure.
Texas also now has the strongest consumer data protections in the nation with a new Digital Bill of Rights and stronger parental rights to protect children online.
But lawmakers let millions of parents down by not creating an ESA, and Governor Abbott is working hard to bring them back to address the issue.
Throughout the last year, we have worked diligently to advance parent empowerment. But our adversaries have also worked hard, primarily to mislead and scare. Education lobbyists and administrators fear that the only goal is to rake more money into the education system, and that parental authority will erode their control and demand greater accountability. there isthey scared texas 320,000 teachers There is no evidence of this in the other 31 states that have school choice systems, although they are led to believe that giving parents choice will “destroy public education.” He also makes the absurd claim that high school soccer will disappear due to school selection.
But for parents like me, and parents like Hillary, it’s really about the future of our children and our great state, and millions of dollars from overpaid administrators and children. It is not a guarantee of employment for corporate profits that are making money.
The truth is, Texas has some great public schools, but too many have succumbed to progressive policies. nosy parents, not a perfect partner. Too many people have fought to lower the academic standard to the lowest common denominator instead of leading Texas to a course of academic excellence.
It is out of compassion that Hillary joins thousands of parents in this fight. She told me, “Imagine an 11-year-old picking up these books and being exposed to harsh and heavy concepts that adults find difficult to comprehend.”
It is these concerns that are driving the parent empowerment movement. And like the civil rights movement of the 1960s, there will be defeats and victories, valleys and peaks. When the opposition maintains power and money, it’s easy to lose sight of their goals, but they’re only pulling out the inevitable: freedom ringing.
Texas legislators will soon have another chance to stand on the right side of history. A school choice system will soon be enacted for the nation’s largest school-age population. Educators who withhold liberty may not be on our side, but we mother bears are freedom fighters and we will not stop until every parent can make the best education choices for their cubs. yeah.
Mandy Drogin is one of the top leaders in education reform in Texas with experience managing grassroots, marketing, election and legislative campaigns. Before he joined the Texas Public Policy Foundation, he worked for the Children’s Federation of America for nearly eight years.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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