Parental Involvement To Parental Takeover?

The momentum by some conservative groups across the nation to get more involved in school board matters shows no signs of abating, as it could happen here in Monroe. At the Tuesday, April 11, 2023 meeting, board members heard from a former Monroe school member who voiced her concerns over a long-standing board policy. Nerrisa Bryant addressed board members saying that the policy that governs the curriculum process should have more involvement from parents. According to Bryant, current policy dictates that there is no requirement for parents to be involved in the “review and selection” of material for the classroom, but Bryant believes that now it is time for a change in policy. She wants the Monroe City Schools Board to make the change, as she explained why those changes should be implemented. Bryant said that we are “finding ourselves” at a time when parents want to know what’s going on in the classroom. She also said that people who make the material have one goal: to make money, referring to the publishers. Bryant said that she has watched what is going on nationally and that she thinks there is a struggle now for the hearts, minds, and maybe the souls of our children. In reference to publishing companies that are facing pushback from state legislatures on what school boards are receiving from them, Bryant said that we must be vigilant against the national publishing companies, as their attempt is to “influence” our children. There is a surge of conservative parents who adhere to conservative leaders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who wants to control everything in his state. He has a legislature that is giving him everything he wants. He wanted to take the schools and universities in his state by making CRT and wokeness his central issues. School boards have become the new battleground, with qualified administrators leaving/resigning from boards. It’s amazing that for years, perhaps decades, things were operating smoothly on school boards across the nation. Once someone interjected race into the conversation, wrongly asserting that reverse discrimination was being taught, along with book bans, it was like throwing the baby out and keeping the bath water. With a change in policy, will certain things on school grounds be thrown out? It has happened in other parts of the country. None of us can’t say that it won’t happen here. All it takes is a change in direction. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?