America's students were some of the most heavily impacted people by the pandemic and subsequent restrictions.
Schools across the country, including here in Missouri, shut down for a period of time and parents were forced to step in to help their children learn from home. While this posed the obvious challenges like limited interaction with teachers and major developmental and social setbacks, it also gave parents a front row seat to witness what their children were learning in school.
We can all agree the majority of educators are hardworking people who dedicate their lives to improving the lives of the next generation. So many parents doubled as teacher's assistants throughout the pandemic and were reintroduced to some subjects they hadn't come across since they learned it themselves, deepening America's appreciation for teachers even further. But just as the pandemic brought out the best in some people, in other cases it also brought to light some alarming curriculum being taught.
Far-left ideology is being woven into classrooms in various parts of the country, so parents started speaking up - and rightfully so.
The public education system is in place to educate our students and equip them for the future. Students should be given the tools to form their own opinions through historical facts and information, not the political agenda that has unfortunately infiltrated many school districts across America in the form of Critical Race Theory and "wokeness" disguised as objective coursework.
Almost as surprising as the curriculum is the response by many people in the government who insist parents have no business interfering in their own children's education. Recently, the Democratic candidate for governor in Virginia stated, "I'm not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions." He went on to say, "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach." He's not going to tell parents to make their own decisions? What an absurd notion.
A couple of weeks ago, the United States Attorney General announced the Department of Justice will be directing the FBI to investigate parents who are concerned about what is being taught to their children in American schools, going as far as to label these parents as "domestic terrorists."
Let me clear: there is a big difference between a heated school board meeting and committing violence. Anyone who threatens or commits violence should be reported to law enforcement and held accountable for their actions. But for those parents who attend public forums to passionately, and at times angrily, voice their opposition to be labeled as terrorists by the Biden administration and threatened with the nation's most powerful law enforcement agency is outrageous. It further exemplifies the "government knows best" mentality that is so prominent in Washington, D.C. And anyone who disagrees is somehow a criminal.
Freedom of speech is one of the most quintessentially American rights. This action from the Department of Justice couldn't be more un-American.
These parents are taxpayers and well within their rights to voice their opinions. Again, there are some bad actors, and they should be addressed as such. But a few uncomfortable moments created by passionate parents is not a crime. These are understandably heated arguments with high stakes.
Being a parent is the most important obligation a person has, and parents here in Missouri and across the nation should have a major voice in what their children are exposed to in the classroom. Preventing them from having that voice is the true crime.
CLARIFICATION posted Oct. 20
In this column about the issue of critical race theory by U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, the source of a quote about labeling parents as "domestic terrorists" was unclear.
Luetkemeyer wrote, "A couple of weeks ago, the United States Attorney General announced the Department of Justice will be directing the FBI to investigate parents who are concerned about what is being taught to their children in American schools, going as far as to label these parents as 'domestic terrorists.'"
The U.S. attorney general never used the term "domestic terrorists." Luetkemeyer's office said the term referred to a letter from the National School Boards Association (NSBA) to President Joe Biden. The letter said the increase in acts of malice, violence and threats against public school officials "could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes."