School board elections held earlier this month were not the resounding victory that liberal education bureaucrats claimed they were. Headlines from across the country trumpeted the electoral wins of union-backed school board candidates and supporters of anti-student and anti-freedom education policies.
But this does not mean critical race theory and gender ideology have won. Contrary to the mainstream media narrative, these elections were only a temporary surge for the far-left indoctrination backed by teachers' unions and other extreme, anti-parent organizations.
The work for education freedom remains, and the next steps of this fight demand a clear-eyed appraisal and some historical encouragement.
On one side are the teachers' unions. Unions and their candidates are not afraid to use every trick in the book. Through dark money Super PACs, emotional manipulation, and organized pressure on teachers, they operate a political machine bent on deceiving voters with the message that their opponents are the real extremists.
On the other side, we find parents, real individuals stepping up and saying that they've had enough. They are not trained by career political operatives, they do not have hundreds of thousands of dollars backing them, and they are not polished made-for-TV candidates. The dichotomy between the political machine of the national teachers' unions and the grassroots movement of parents is crystal clear.
Beyond their political machine, the unions' long-term vision should serve as a wake up call for parents. Union-backed candidates have slowly and deliberately been taking over our education system for years. They do not look at one election cycle as a win or loss. They look much further ahead, aiming to erode and eradicate parental rights over decades. They can absorb an election loss here and there, knowing that as long as they still are in control of the textbook vendors, and the teachers' colleges, and every other aspect of the education system, they can remain in control of the classroom. They see indoctrination as an unending fight, and they just need a little more control over our students today than they had yesterday.
For many parents, by contrast, this has been a different game—vote and go home, show up at the PTA or the school board meeting with the belief that your voice is getting heard. Only recently have parents' rights supporters, from President Donald Trump to Libs of TikTok to Moms for Liberty, begun shining a light on attempts to radicalize our education system.
Fights for the freedoms we enjoy as Americans are rarely won easily. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington and the dedicated but largely inexperienced militiamen of the Continental Army faced many ups and downs. Key victories alternated with low points where all seemed lost. Victory demanded patience and perseverance.
On one side were highly trained, extremely well-financed, experienced fighters in the British. On the other side was a group of ordinary individuals driven by the belief that freedom must flourish and oppression must be stopped, despite the hardships.
That is the message that every parent and individual tired of the leftist takeover of our education system should take to heart: don't stop fighting.
The Left will always double down, and those of us who believe in freedom, choice, and parental rights are going to have to follow suit. We are going to have to wear our shoes down walking neighborhoods and wear our knuckles to the bone knocking on doors. The radical Left is taking a premature victory lap—but parents and anyone who cares about truth in education will be back, and will be relentless.
Remember, education freedom is about doing what's right in a country founded on personal liberty. Parents know which decisions are best for their kids, more than any government employee or union boss, and have a right to make those decisions stemming from the responsibility they bear in raising children. And for those of us who believe in American principles and traditional values, being able to spare our children from the woke indoctrination we see rampant in government schools is critical.
Now is the time to go back on offense. This issue will not be decided by one election, but by whether we have the courage to persevere. The Left is relentless in its attempt to transform our schools. For advocates of parents' rights, the fight has only just begun. Students, parents and educators across this country are counting on us.
Ryan Walters is the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Education. You can follow him on X: @RyanWaltersSupt.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
