Politics Over Parents
Friend,
I can’t believe I’m saying it, again. Our country has experienced yet another school shooting.
As a parent, I know the fear of sending your child off to school, especially in the aftermath of another senseless school shooting.
Instead of improving school safety, last week, Republicans passed an extreme, dangerous bill targeting our nation’s students, families, and educators, disguised as “parental rights,” that has no chance of passing the Senate.
Let’s call this bill what it is – a political stunt.
H.R. 5 should be called the Politics Over Parents Act, since it puts the viewpoints of a small, loud, group of extremists above the needs of the majority of parents, teachers and students.
I voted against this bill, and I unequivocally reject this attempt to burden teachers and censor important topics. Especially over and against parents’ real priorities: ensuring our children have the best education possible, in the safest environment possible.
The Politics Over Parents Act would expand the GOP trend to ban “woke” books – like Maus, a book about the Holocaust. A book called I Am Martin Luther King Jr. A book about Roberto Clemente, the first Latino baseball player to make it into the Hall of Fame.
The Politics Over Parents Act would create an unnecessary, unfunded burden on schools, distracting from the crucial work of teaching and supporting students.
The Politics Over Parents Act would even prevent students from reaching out to a trusted teacher or counselor in real time if they are having suicidal thoughts.
Put simply, this bill is bad for students, bad for parents, and bad for teachers.
Democrats proposed more than 25 amendments to add commonsense changes to this bill, including keeping firearms out of classrooms, removing lead pipes from schools, giving students equal access to healthy meals and mental health professionals, give teachers more training, and more.
Republicans voted down every single one down party line.
It’s clear some would rather cater to a very small group focused on culture wars instead of providing a strong and balanced education for our kids. These censorship advocates are happy about a short-term political win rather than doing what’s best for our children.
I want to know what you think.
Do you think schools should ban books, restrict what students can and can't learn, and censor the viewpoints of Black, brown, AAPI, LGBTQ+, and religious minority communities?
| Yes |
| NO |
Click to submit
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Your Friend,
André