A Mom's Speaks Out About Push to Ban Books/Curriculum

 Seattle is something of a bubble in the current public education arguments about what is said/taught about gender, a person's pronouns, book bans, curriculum bans, etc. You aren't seeing these vicious arguments at Seattle School Board meetings but I just had to put up this woman's very eloquent testimony at her district's Board meeting. 

This mom is Adrienne Martin, the Democratic Chair of Hood County, Texas. Ms. Martin is absolutely right about those who say they are "good Christians" can go tell their church leader, not the school board. It is no issue to be discussed at school meetings. 

On Twitter, I have seen this rise in some religious believers who feel emboldened by, well, something, and they think they can intimidate others, both religious and non-religious. 

As you may know, the Arizona Legislature went against what voters said several years ago - saying NO to vouchers - and the Legislature approved a universal voucher plan this year and the governor signed it.

This means that the parent of every single child in Arizona gets to decide how the paltry $6500-7,000 allotted per child for public education will be spent. I can't tell you how many parents think this is their right to make an individual decision how public education dollars are spent even as we all know that we pay taxes for many things we wish we didn't have to but we do it for the greater good.

I also laugh at those who say, "You don't care about poor children who deserve to go to the same private schools as rich kids." As if the very good/good private schools are available at that low price. 

So what will universal vouchers do?

- I'm sure it will be a boon to homeschooling parents who generally pay for their needs out of pocket.

- I'm sure it will be a boon to middle and upper class parents as kind of a rebate on their private school costs. 

- In Arizona, kids in private schools STILL won't have to take state tests so how the kids in Arizona are doing educationally will be something of a mystery.

- Naturally, you take kids out of public schools and you will have a weakened system that still has buildings to operate with fewer dollars. And, because private schools will still be able to discriminate against Sped, ELL, homeless and LGBTQ kids, all those kids will likely be in public schools where those who need services cost the district many dollars. Just like charter schools, private schools can pick who they want to keep.

-And, if parents move their child to a private school that either the parents don't like or the school decides they don't want that child, none of those public dollars will move with them back to a public school. So the public school has to absorb a child with no dollars attached. 

I was discussing with one parent on Twitter how it will be possible to have, say, a satanic school if you allow religious schools access to public education dollars. That parent told me that no private religious school will get dollars except Christians ones. (Not what the law says.) When I said I didn't want my tax dollars going to a religious school, the reply was, "Then why do you live in a Christian nation?" 

My answer was, "I don't."