Summer is wrapping up for many parents as the school year officially begins in most districts. It is the mark of a new year, new beginnings, and hopefully a lot of learning.
My family is embarking on the school year for the first time as my oldest son begins a local homeschooling co-op. Prayers are greatly appreciated as we’ll be juggling homeschooling while welcoming a new little one in a few months!
I know other parents are more ahead of the game than I am with all their school supplies bought, organized, and neatly displayed. (Hey, cut me some slack, I’m seven months pregnant with my third child!) However, in addition to organizing our children’s school supplies, it’s also beneficial to mentally organize our educational goals and values for our children this school year.
It is all too easy to hand our children over to teachers and their educational decisions, not giving things much of a second thought. We may not question whether a style of teaching is better for our children than another. But parent, I want you to tape this saying on your mirror along with whatever other aphorisms you have reminding you of your life direction:
You are in charge of your child’s education. Not the teacher, not the school district, not the board of education, not the state. You.
You, parent, have a right to the education of your child. This right has been affirmed by the Supreme Court in Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972).
Alabama law has held time and time again that parents are in charge of their child’s education. I’ve written about this previously in my discussion of parental rights. Our constitution states that there is no right to an education – nothing supersedes the parent’s right to educate their child. We passed the CHOOSE Act to solidify a parent’s ability to choose how they educate their child. We passed the “Parental Right to Know” act that guarantees transparency in curriculum and course materials.
In this year’s Mahmoud v. Taylor, the Supreme Court held that parents have the right to the religious upbringing of their children and schools cannot supersede that. If a school has a curriculum that conflicts with a parent’s religious beliefs, the school must allow the child to opt out of that part of the curriculum.
I am not saying you should force your traditional school to adopt a classical model of education. But you are well within your rights to go complain to the powers-that-be that your child isn’t getting enough recess or that they are being forced into a sexual education class of which you disapprove.
If your school is not meeting the educational needs of your child, yank them out. If they’re not providing a quality education, take charge. If they incorporated books praising the LGBTQ lifestyle into your child’s English, reading, or language arts curriculum, demand an opt-out. If the school is hiding and not being fully transparent about its curriculum, demand transparency because it is owed to you. All these options are available for you, especially as the CHOOSE Act gives us more options than we had before. You are in control, not them.
My teacher friends may dislike me saying all this – and I want to make clear they are not usually the bad guys – but they still owe you a duty. You do not owe them your blind trust. They have degrees in education, but your children do not belong to them. They have the skill to educate, but you alone have the duty and right to educate your children. You owe teachers nothing.
This school year, let’s investigate what we want our children learning and how. Let us hold the education system accountable, because it is ultimately accountable to parents. In the last decade, they have become drunk with power. It’s high time we sober them up.
You, parent, are in control.
Laura Clark is a wife, mother, and community activist. She currently serves as the interim president of Alabama Center for Law and Liberty, a conservative nonprofit law firm that fights for limited government, free markets, and strong families in the courts. Anything written by Laura for this publication does not constitute legal advice.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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