OPINION:
A version of this story appeared in the Higher Ground newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive Higher Ground delivered directly to your inbox each Sunday.
As bells ring and books crack open again in public schools across the country, something else is coinciding with America’s typical back-to-school mayhem: An increasingly outspoken throng of parents is bent on righting a slew of educational wrongs.
And these moms and dads are showing no sign of slowing down.
It’s no secret that sanity is facing an uphill battle in almost every corner of our topsy-turvy culture. But while many previously opted for silent eye rolls or quiet complaints for fear of obliteration by the cancel-culture mob, something changed when tides of chaos infested American classrooms and COVID-19 lockdowns gave parents an unprecedented look behind the educational curtain.
After waking up to some of the social engineering unfolding in schools, mothers and fathers all over America have not only been speaking up at board meetings. They have also successfully run for local school boards, are spending time organizing protests, and have actively sought to stop some of the seemingly blatant acts of indoctrination unfolding in our schools.
The most sinister form of this pervasive attempt to brainwash manifests in deceit and wedge-building between students and their parents, with some schools purportedly labeling themselves as “safe spaces” while dismissing parents as potential threats to their children’s lives.
Not long ago, our education debates surrounded issues such as evolution and battles over school prayer. But today, these skirmishes run much deeper and come with starker and more diabolical stakes, placing parental rights on the chopping block.
From disturbing bathroom and locker room policies to claims of schools intentionally concealing students’ gender confusion or identification, the parental reaction percolating across America as a result of these actions is understandable — and will likely continue to grow.
But while parental involvement is essential to making a change, there’s an important reality everyone must recognize: Public school teachers, staff and school board members are going to be the real key to halting regressive policy moves.
There’s only so much influence outsiders can have on the system. To effect real change, people inside the bowels of the educational complex must put their feet down, speak up and take the lead. Fortunately, some brave educators and advocates have taken bold steps forward.
Elizabeth Mirabelli, a California teacher with more than 20 years of classroom experience, has teamed up with another educator to sue their school district after allegedly being implored to conceal students’ gender identities from their parents — something Ms. Mirabelli refused to do.
“The heart of a teacher is you always want to provide the best example of conduct and making positive choices and being a responsible individual,” she told me. “And I think that most people from any walk of life would agree that honesty is a key principle that we just do not violate.”
Despite the harassment and chaos that followed Ms. Mirabelli’s decision to act, she’s not backing down from urging educators and schools to work with parents rather than cut them out of their kids’ lives on such important matters.
“I think that educators need to provide the support and resources to a family with a child going through a crisis, not cut the parents out — but bring the parents in and help the child learn the value of honesty and the value of openness,” Ms. Mirabelli said. “We don’t want to drive a wedge, teach the child to hide, and manipulate others.”
And she’s not alone. Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education in California, recently told me she has faced threats and chaos for passing a parental rights policy that mandates mothers and fathers be notified of kids’ gender identities.
Somehow, this commonsense mandate is a bone of contention. Despite the intense pushback, Ms. Shaw has no plans of backing down. In fact, at least one other California district was inspired by her bravery to pass the same regulation, with both districts drawing the ire of the state’s progressive leaders.
“It’s really sad when you have all these proposed bills that kind of push the family unit away and they start creating some kind of weird secret relationship with our children,” Ms. Shaw said. “And we don’t drop our kids off to have some weird relationship.
“Developing this policy is sending a message back that … we’re done. We’re done with them trying to break up the family unit. Parents need to be involved.”
Ms. Mirabelli and Ms. Shaw are absolutely correct in their assertions. Such policies concealing truth not only create a wedge, but also open a gaping wound in the parent-child relationship, telling kids that lies and deceit are OK, and that parents should essentially be seen as unsafe nemeses.
It’s a disturbing elevation of government into the place of moms and dads — a manifestation of the horror many small government enthusiasts have fretted over and warned about for decades.
The reality is that it’s going to take an army of parents speaking up and voting to cut the chaos, but the real agents of change will be people like Ms. Mirabelli and Ms. Shaw who go against the grain to stand up for what’s true, good and right — no matter the personal cost.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” He is the author of four books.
• Billy Hallowell can be reached at bhallowell@washingtontimes.com.
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