President Biden reignited the culture war between parents and woke school curriculums Wednesday after telling teachers that children belong to them when they’re in the classroom.
“They’re all our children,” Mr. Biden said at a White House event honoring the teacher of the year. “They are not somebody else’s children. They’re like yours when they’re in the classroom.”
Mr. Biden’s comments drew comparisons to statements by former Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. During last year’s campaign, Mr. McAuliffe slammed parents for getting involved in the state’s education system.
“I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions,” Mr. McAuliffe said during a September debate. “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”
His opponent, Glenn Youngkin, a Republican who is now the governor, blasted Mr. McAuliffe’s remarks. His response has been widely credited with fueling his victory and pushing parental rights to the center of his campaign.
“You believe school systems should tell children what to do. I believe parents should be in charge of their kids’ education,” Mr. Youngkin fired back.
Mr. Biden also blasted Republican legislators who have launched efforts to ban books that feature sexually explicit or overly politically correct curriculum.
“Today, there are too many politicians trying to score political points banning books, even math books,” the president said. “Did you ever think when you’d be teaching you’re going to be worried about book burnings and banning books all because it doesn’t fit somebody’s political agenda?”
Mr. Biden later added that people need to stop making teachers “the target of culture wars.”
Legislators in red states, such as Florida, have passed several bills advocating parental choice in education. In March, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed a bill that bans discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida schools for students in kindergarten through third grade.
Under the law, teachers who violate it can be sued by parents.
Critics have said the law discriminates against members of the LGBTQ community and teaches children to believe they are wrong for being different.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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