Time For Parents to Rise Up and Take Back Control of the Public Education System.

The need to wrest control of our Public School System from the Unions is long overdue. It is past time that we pay strong attention to those running for School Board elections. As parents and grandparents of children in the public school system, we can no longer sit idly by as the system indoctrinates our children with liberal, Progressive ideas that run counter to the views of our Founding Fathers or fly in the face of the religious and moral values so many parents and children. We must act now to ensure that future school-board members are elected who will see to it that schools respect parents' wishes.

Tea parties, 9.12 groups, Coalitions for a Conservative Majority are just three of the more active groups taking a strong interest in restoring conservative principles to all portions of the political spectrum. I urge you to join them. Then, I urge you to set up a committee to vet out all public school-board candidates via questionnaires and public forums where candidates are invited to share their philosophy of education and what they see as their role, if elected.

Below is only a very rough start of the kinds of questions that could be asked on questionnaires and through public forums. I urge you to consider using these and adding many of your own and adding to them as you see fit.

1. What do you see as the role of the Parents in public education? Be specific.
2. What do you see as the role of school Administration in public education? Be specific.
3. What do you see as the role of the school Board in the public education? Be specific.
4. Do you see a role for parents in the review and selection of textbooks and other materials? Why? Why not?
5. Many of today’s textbooks minimize the views of our founding documents and the reasons for the greatness and exceptionalism of the U.S. Would you take specific action to make sure this does not happen in your school district? If so, what action? If not, why not?
6. Would you welcome or resist the establishment of a committee of parents who desire to review books, movies and other handout materials…and Why?
7. How would you articulate your concept of "diversity" and how it should or should not be of concern to parents and children?
8. Should the teaching of controversial issues such as abortion, homosexuality, egalitarianism, evolution, global warming, and other issues that are deemed controversial be a part of the school curriculum? If not, why not? If so, what should
   
9. Most public school administrators, teachers, staff, parents and children do not understand the law with respect to Religious Freedom in public schools, thus increasingly opening up schools to lawsuits from pro-religious-freedom organizations. Would you be willing to work with organizations such as the Alliance Defense Fund, the Rutherford Institute and others to ensure that the religious beliefs of teachers, staff and students are encouraged rather than violated? Would you be willing to require the school administration to make such applicable religious freedoms known?
   
10. Do you feel that educating students on issues deemed as pro-abortion, use of condoms, homosexuality is the role of the school or the role of the parents? Why or Why not?
11. Parents often feel they are not informed as to the content or timing of the teaching of controversial subject matter to their children. Do you favor “opt-in” or “opt-out” methods as ways for the school administration to inform parents of controversial materials being taught their children?
    
12. By receiving federal funds (often as little as 5% of a school’s budget) the school is required to adhere to an increasingly-large list of federal regulations. What is your stance on the taking of federal funds by a public school? Would you be in favor of refusing such funds to provide greater freedom and flexibility for the school administration?
    
13. Would you favor teachers opting out of the teachers union? Would you advocate that school administrators inform their teachers of this option?
14. Most school districts use considerable budget dollars for advertising to bring attention to their schools. Do you see this as necessary? Why or why not?
15. Do you believe that total transparency of every item of income/expense of the school district should be available and searchable on the web?
16. Because Colorado School Districts receive money from the State based on the number of children in attendance as of a certain date, most schools have a promotion strategy to make sure the greatest number of students is present on that “count” day. Do you believe such promotion costs are proper expenses of the school?

As another suggestion for the growing number of conservative activist groups, it would be wise for a sub-committee of these groups to establish itself as a watchdog group within each Public School District. This sub-committee would attend all meetings of the School Board, review individual school and district policies, and reviews all educational materials used by each school. This group would then report back to the “parent” group to establish action items to correct whatever problem was observed.

When the public school system takes on responsibility to educate children, it must take that responsibility seriously and realize that it is responsible first and foremost to the parents of those children who have entrusted them with that responsibility. Parents, not the teachers union (NEA) make the important educational decisions for their children. It is time we took back our schools and made them parent-centric, not union-centric. If you agree, please begin to take action now. The destiny of our country and the future of the children weighs in the balance.