Patrick Bohan for Congress: Education Policy
Parents should have the right to send their children to the school of their choice and their tax money should follow their child. In Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925) the Supreme Court held that it was a right “of parents and guardians to direct the upbringing and education of children under their control.” The decision in Pierce is consistent with natural law which holds that the governing of families belongs to the parents and it is separate from politics and the governing of communities, states, and nations. Furthermore, there should be a focus on trade school choices for students not wishing for higher education.
Founding Father and the Father of Education, Noah Webster, asked those attending the Constitutional Convention for patent and copywrite protections in the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 8). Notice Webster supports protecting inventors and innovation but does not call for any federal control or regulation of education. In fact, both education and agriculture were important issues at the time of the drafting of the Constitution, but the Founders saw no need to provide the federal government any control over these important aspects of American society and culture in the Constitution. Yet, today, we have both an intrusive educational and agricultural department. What has a department of education done for American society? Since its inception there has been a steady decline in math and reading proficiency. In other words, there is no purpose or role for the federal department of education. Education is a local issue, not a federal issue where one size fits all.
Family rights and the right to obtain knowledge are being decimated by our educational system. Critical race theory may promote different values than what some families expect from their children. Natural law holds that the governing of families belongs to the parents and it is separate from politics and the governing of communities, states, and nations. Family rights or parental rights have received a lot of attention in 2021. A New York Times article Republicans Seize on Schools as a Wedge Issue to Unite Party clearly believes parental rights are a fabricated freedom or liberty. The article was about how parental rights are “stoking white resentment and tapping into broader anger at the educational system” because parents are concerned about what is being taught to their children. When I was going to school good teachers wanted parents involved in their child’s education. Today, what the New York Times and schools want is for parents to shut up and conform to critical race theory and other indoctrination and brainwashing schemes that schools are using to teach children their new version of American history.