In an article published by Washington Examiner, TCA’s Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie writes an article titled “In Florida, parents are determined to keep politics out of the classroom.” She writes:

November’s midterm elections made one thing clear: Florida is at the center of a plate-shifting political earthquake, and one of the biggest factors driving it is parents’ rejection of left-wing political ideologies in our children’s education.

As a mother who has raised and educated five children in this state for the past 25 years and counting, I understand Florida parents’ frustration with the education system. Thankfully, Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed several pieces of legislation, including the Parental Rights in Education Act, meant to keep politics out of the classroom.

But even with new laws establishing clear standards to eliminate age-inappropriate sex education and critical race theory, parents realized that changes had to be made at the local level too. That’s why flipping local school boards was such a critical issue this past cycle. It was either that or teachers unions would maintain control of what Florida’s children learn through union-backed board members who work to skirt guidelines popular with parents and the wider community.

…

As a member of the Florida Board of Education, I have heard from many frustrated parents both in person during public meetings and through direct communications. They often express a sense of powerlessness before the vast educational apparatus of the state. Their children walk into the schools, ostensibly to be prepared to meet the educational challenges of a complex world — a world in which technical skills and specialized knowledge are keys to professional success — only to be confronted by a steady stream of ideology and politics that is left-wing, sexualized, and almost always deeply disturbing to parents who rightly believe they should be the primary formator in these delicate areas.

I have also noticed that, here in Florida, it is immigrant parents who are often the most shocked and dismayed by this situation. They don’t understand why an American education for their children should come with the hefty price tag of losing them to a far-left political ideology with which they disagree. I don’t blame them.

Parents are the primary educators of their children. We are not co-parents with the state. In Florida, parents are determined to keep fighting for our rights, and we’re lucky to have government officials willing to fight alongside us. But this battle is far from over, and it is imperative that parents remain vigilant.

Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie is a senior fellow with the Catholic Association.

To read more of Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie’s article, go here.