Senator James Lankford has introduced a resolution advocating for school choice along with several other senators, just in time for National School Choice Week.
The resolution recognizes “the necessity of school choice as a tool to empower all parents with the freedom to choose the best educational environment for their children and to combat destructive ideologies like Critical Race Theory promoted by many public schools.”
“The idea that any race, ethnicity, color, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior should not be forced into any required curriculum,” the resolution states.
“Parents should have the ability to choose a school for their child based on their child’s individual needs, academic goals, and personal and religious beliefs.”
It also acknowledges the concerns that many parents have about the negative impacts of remote learning, mask mandates, as well as COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
For example, Los Angeles Unified School District, with over 600,000 students, is the 2nd largest school district and is in the process of implementing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all schoolchildren age 12 and older.
Any student who refuses to become “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19 would be forced into remote, online learning.
Additionally, Sen. Lankford’s resolution states that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland “has abused his office by directing Federal law enforcement to engage in local issues, thus threatening legitimately concerned parents away from advocating for their children’s right to a quality and unbiased education.”
The Daily Citizen recently reported on newly uncovered emails showing that Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona asked the National School Board Association (NSBA) to pen a letter to President Biden, asking for “federal assistance to stop threats and acts of violence against … public school board members, and other public school district officials and educators.”
This letter from the NSBA prompted Attorney General Garland to write a memorandum to the directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, the head of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division and all federal prosecutors to “convene meetings to address threats against school administrators, teachers, staff and board members.”
The letter equated parents forcefully speaking out against critical race theory, mask mandates, school closures and inappropriate comprehensive sexuality education at local school board meetings across the country as “a form of domestic terrorism.”
Sen. Lankford’s resolution concludes that if adopted, the Senate:
(1) recognizes and promotes the importance of parental involvement in their child’s education; and
(2) recognizes the necessity of school choice as a tool to empower all parents with the freedom to choose the best educational environment for their children and to reject the destructive ideologies promoted by many public schools, such as Critical Race Theory.
“As Oklahoma parents and parents around the nation continue to stand against ‘woke’ ideology being forced on their kids, school choice is even more important for increasing options and competition for schools to do their very best for our kids,” Sen. Lankford said in a statement released on the senator’s website.
“We must affirm the right of parents to protect their kids by having a voice in their education and continue to innovate toward more education opportunities that help all our kids succeed.”
The senator was joined by Senators Cramer, Johnson, Braun, Hyde-Smith, Cruz, Rubio, Boozman, Inhofe, Daines and Wicker in supporting the resolution.
Numerous prominent conservative organizations are supporting the resolution, including Heritage Action, Center for Urban Renewal and Education, American Conservative Union, Faith and Freedom Coalition, Family Policy Alliance, American Association of Christian Schools, First Liberty Institute, Alliance Defending Freedom, American Center for Law and Justice, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, and the Family Research Council, among others.
In an age where public schools are teaching kindergartners about “gender identity,” and making sexually graphic material available in high school libraries, it’s become all the more important for parents to be involved in their child’s education.
If you’re worried about what your child may be learning in school, and want to learn how to get more involved, check out Focus on the Family’s new free resource Back to School for Parents: A busy parent’s guide to what’s happening in your children’s classrooms and practical steps you can take to protect them.
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