Harmful School Board Policies? We’re Complicit Until We’re Not

by Tiffanie Broadbent

Harmful School Board Policies? We’re Complicit Until We’re Not
Do you remember who you voted for in the last few school board elections in your district?  I have to ask: can you remember if you even voted in those elections? 

Think back for a moment to 2017, 2019, 2021.  Even though no one expected it (at least prior to 2020), the people who were elected to local school boards in those races have had an enormous impact on the generation of school children who lived through those years – a far greater impact, I would argue, than any school boards in my lifetime. The policies that entered school districts in the wake of Covid-19 and the death of George Floyd have had monumental effects on our kids:

– The physically, emotionally, educationally, and intellectually harmful masking that we now know was nothing more than politically-motivated superstition;
– Bizarre and unscientific quarantine rules that kept healthy kids from attending school;
– Socially, educationally, and psychologically crippling distancing protocols that served only to make children withdrawn and fearful of normal interaction;
– In many communities, divisive, neo-racist programs that used valuable resources to antagonize, demoralize, and divide children, rather than support and nurture them into successful students;
– In literally every public district, a further degrading of the line between what is family business and what is school business.

Many children have still not recovered academically, socially, and psychologically from those disastrous policies. 

Looking at the decisions your school board has made in the last handful of years, do you ever wish you could go back and take a fresh look at those races – to weed out the board members who were content to muzzle and abuse your children out of fear, ignorance, pressure they should have resisted, or who knows what motive? What if we could identify and block those who mock and ignore parental rights, who approve (or just don’t pay attention to) intrusive, inappropriate pseudo-therapy programs and political indoctrination dressed up as “transformative social emotional learning”?

Now think ahead.  Doesn’t it seem like new and shocking developments are arriving on the scene at an accelerated pace?  It seems like every month brings revelations of new cultural and political indoctrination, new depths of intrusive and sometimes inappropriate content in schools, new waves of conflict in communities about how teachers and school districts conduct themselves.

Make no mistake: more harmful policies are on the horizon, most likely wrapped in excuses about some “emergency” or other. Under the direction of the candidates who are running right now, more staff members will be hired, more money will be accepted with federal or state “strings” attached that direct the political and social indoctrination of our children. More administrators will be interviewed and hired who may or may not have a healthy and appropriate view of parental rights. More programs, initiatives, surveys, and curricula will be administered, (often intrusive, inappropriate, and politically-motivated).

More of your tax money will be given by the school board to outside groups, like the OSBA (Ohio School Board Association – the state chapter of the National School Board Association, which pressured the Department of Justice to classify concerned parents as “Domestic Terrorists”), professional organizations, diversity “experts”, and teacher’s unions (who lobbied for more and longer closures and restrictions), who in turn give money to political parties and affiliates who may be working against your rights to direct the upbringing of your children as you see fit.

The worst part is: when it comes to terrible school board policies and expenditures, we are all complicit – until we’re not.

You have a chance right now to decide who will be in charge of those decisions and policies.  Our next election is in less than two months.  Over the next seven weeks, school board candidates will be appearing at events, setting up websites and social media groups, and canvassing in your neighborhood.  Make it a point to meet with them, look over their materials, ask tough (and open-ended) questions:

– What does “Parents’ Rights” mean to you?
– What do you think about how our district handled COVID protocol?
– Who should make decisions about students’ health and medical interventions?
– What is the proper relationship between the school board and the Superintendent?
– What is your policy on political expression and discrimination in the school? Who will be responsible for enforcing this policy and how?
– How should security officers in our schools be vetted and by whom? Who is responsible for their conduct?
– Why do you think expenditures and administrative staffing have increased so much, yet academic proficiency is going down? How do you plan to remedy this?
– Describe your view on appropriate and inappropriate classroom and library materials. What practical steps will you enact regarding age-appropriate materials?
– What is your plan to make curriculum and materials accessible to parents (including proprietary materials from outside agencies and firms)?
– What do you think our district’s policy should be regarding same-sex bathrooms, locker rooms, and accommodations for school trips, including athletics?

When you find candidates you think would do a good job serving your district and handling the next wave of crises and events, please spread the word to others in your district, donate to candidates, sign up for their events, help them canvass or make calls.  It’s never been more obvious how crucial these school board seats are.  Please make sure you do all you can to investigate the candidates and support the ones you believe in. 

Check out the Geauga Schools section of our website for information on local districts and the candidates running.