Winning the Battle for Parental Rights

Parents have won hard-fought battles for parental rights in education when it comes to private schools and homeschools. Thanks to the ongoing work of organizations across the nation, these victories remain and are — for the most part — unchallenged. However, for parents of children in our nation’s public schools, the battle continues. While numerous lawsuits work their way to the U.S. Supreme Court, there are opportunities to fight and win the battle for parental rights in public schools right now.

Let’s take a look at four key ways parents can reclaim their children’s public school education.

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Run for School Board Seats

First, and most importantly, are local school boards. Why? A local school board has more day-to-day impact on the future of children attending the local public school than does the president of the United States, yet school board elections are an afterthought to most voters.  

This must change. Parents and grandparents need to run for school board seats. Citizens need to donate to candidates for school boards, go door to door for candidates for school boards, and attend candidate forums. It is imperative that we step up and prioritize these elections.

Reclaim School Board Power

Second, local school boards need to reclaim their power. This may not be easy — and state laws vary widely on how much power a school board has. But local school boards must seek competent legal advice, they must educate themselves on their power as elected representatives of the voters, and they must act accordingly.

Know Your Rights as Parents

Third, get educated about parental rights in your state. State legislators have great power. Did you know that 16 states have enshrined parental rights as a fundamental right in state code? These laws allow governors, attorneys general, statewide secretaries of education, and other state officials to act to protect parental rights. These laws also allow local school boards to adopt policies to protect parental rights more broadly to bring local school board policies into line with state law—and potentially allow parents to file suits in state court for violations of their parental rights.

Call on State Leaders to Act Now

Fourth, even if a state has not yet passed a law enshrining parental rights as fundamental in state code, statewide elected officials can act now. For example, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office recently published a Parents’ Bill of Rights Toolkit, relying on federal and state judicial precedents. This example should be emulated by state attorneys general across the nation.

The Importance of Protecting Parental Rights

The heart of parental rights is that children need loving guidance. They are not yet mature enough to handle the decisions, pressures, and cares of life. They will only receive this guidance from one of two places: loving parents, either biological or adoptive; or from the state, through the actions of government employees. In a pluralistic, free country like the United States of America, we must respect the decisions made by a loving parent. The state taking actions using the force of government to break the sacred parent-child bond is a far worse alternative. We must affirm, once and for all, that loving parents know better than the government how to raise a minor child.