What is Parent Empowerment?
We resolve to implement reforms to Texas’ education system to ensure parents are in charge of their child’s education:
- Transparency: Parents should have easy access to all curriculum and instructional materials assigned to students through online posting or other methods.
- Quality: Parents should be confident the curriculum ensures their children are getting an education that allows them to be successful, such as preparing for college or learning career skills.
- Respect: If parents have legitimate concerns about the material being taught in schools, there should be an open process for addressing these and parents should be treated with respect by school administrators, school board officials, and all other school employees.
- Choice: If schools refuse these measures, then the only recourse for parents is to control where their kids go to school regardless of where the student lives.
How did we get here?
Over the past two years, parents have become more informed – and subsequently more concerned – about the quality of the education their kids are receiving in school. The pandemic-inspired changes to education opened a window into classrooms that was not available to many parents before.
Immediately, parents began to ask questions about curriculum, adult materials available to children, race- and gender-based lessons, as well as the process for opening and closing schools, mandatory mask policies, and COVID vaccine requirements.
Parents expressing legitimate concerns about school policies and materials were frequently met with a dismissive, obstinate, and often disrespectful response from school officials. Parents were ignored or passed through a bureaucratic labyrinth built to protect school officials. When they showed up to school board meetings, they were blocked, silenced, dismissed, and even arrested. Meetings legally required to be public were held behind closed doors. Teachers have hidden controversial activities from parents, and some school districts actually prohibit officials from notifying parents if children are having mental and emotional stress at school.
During this time, parents have unfortunately learned that some school officials are not the partners parents thought they were in helping to provide an education for their child, and there appears little legal recourse for parents wanting to take back control of their child’s education.
That’s where the Parent Empowerment Campaign is going to change things in Texas.
How can you help?
Elected officials need to hear from their constituents. Enter your address below to contact your representatives, and tell them you support putting parents back in charge of their children’s education.