Mob Rule: How School Boards Undermine Parents And Are Arguably A Means For Implementation Vs Representation [Op-Ed]

Image Credit: RODNAE Productions / Pexels

By Steve Abramowicz [article originally published in Mill Creek View – republished here by submission from author

Reports of school boards neglecting to represent the interests and address the concerns of families have been emerging. Not only have countless videos been uploaded to social media accounts of parents pleading with board members only to be buzzed out of time and overlooked, but board members began to report parents as terrorists who expressed opposition to what boards were mandating to students.

Evidence is accumulating that show school boards have become a tool of teachers unions. In addition, independent organizations such as the Greater Seattle Summer Swim League (GSSSL) are also being used as a means to introduce irrelevant and ideological policy that many stakeholders have tried to express opposition to.

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The TN Liberty Network (TNLN), an independent think tank based out of Tennessee, published a research report titled, Follow the Blood Money: Blood Money in U.S. Schools. The study looks deeply into how Covid relief funds resulted in the federal government gaining the ability to require states to mandate masking in k-12 schools. Acceptance of the funds also resulted in federal monitoring for compliance.

As outlined in TNLN’s research, the needs of parents and students were surveyed in a Community Engagement Checklist and Needs Assessment, but no public information was ever published after the assessment. No families mentioned they were in favor of more critical race theory (CRT), social emotional learning (SEL), or the government provided mental health to k-12 students. However, the Needs Assessment Plan summary outlined them as the top five needs. This led families to feel like the survey was a front to fabricate they were being considered. 

Parents of children were reported by board members to the Department of Justice under Merrick Garland for investigation by the National School Boards Association (NSBA) for speaking up against mandatory masking and vaccination, according to Libby Emmons in a Post Millennial article on the issue. Boards didn’t like the opposition and complained, resulting in many organizations calling concerned parents “terrorists” for disrupting meetings.

Is there an ethical issue when board members ignore the voices of their constituents and undermine the representation Americans expect to have?

Parents are trying to fight for their children’s education and wellbeing, but school boards continue to ignore and implement trends in ideologies across America, which has entailed mandated masking and vaccination, CRT and an unprecedented new sexual education that even politically moderate parents are waking up to in extreme concern.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the associated three various ESSER Funds that were given to local educational agencies (LEAs) came with the condition that each LEA adopt the U.S. Department of Education’s requirements, according to a letter from United States Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Commissioner Penny Schwinn. This included mandating masks to students and undermining Governor Lee’s scope of governance according to states’ rights. 

The question raised by the TNLN is what conditions are attached to future ESSER Funds that are apparently scheduled out until 2028 and are already at hundred of billions of dollars that are being added to America’s untreated spending issue. Because states accepted the funds, it opened the door for the strings to be attached to the federal government to mandate conditions upon the state. 

It begins to look like school boards are a means for the federal government to implement their agenda. Otherwise, there would be a more populist approach where you’d see diversity of school districts. Instead, we see uniformity in how they’re operating and their approach to what the National Education Association (NEA) and NSBA wants the executive branch of government to push through the U.S. Department of Education. 

School boards aren’t the only ones subjecting their constituents to ideologies. Greater Seattle Summer Swim League (GSSSL) also has a board that has subjected its stakeholders to controversial policy. 

A clause was amended in March of 2022 stating, “member teams must operate in compliance with the league’s Gender-Inclusion Athlete Policy.”

The board also stated in their policy, “the GSSSL Board recognizes the importance of creating inclusive policy in support of transgender and non-binary athletes with regard to their names and pronouns,” and stated that it’s required to use preferred pronouns. 

The board has a Gender Inclusive Task Force lead who will receive additional training from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) on how to oversee and implement policy. Historically, swimming was a sport for the social, mental, physical, and community benefit of individuals and families. Involving the OSPI equates increasing government influence over the sport to implement what many would say is inappropriate and unnecessary policy that inherently results in speech policing. 

One thought on “Mob Rule: How School Boards Undermine Parents And Are Arguably A Means For Implementation Vs Representation [Op-Ed]

  • August 3, 2022 at 5:28 pm
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    Home School. No students= No Money= A change or Doors Close which would be better.

    Reply

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