Michigan Democrats Wage a Not-So-Stealth War on Parents

Photo by Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan.

The Michigan Democrat Party found themselves in hot water after posting an anti-parent rant on their Facebook page. “Not sure where this ‘parents-should-control-what-is-taught-in-schools-because-they-are-our-kids’ is originating, but parents do have the option to choose to send their kids to a hand-selected private school at their own expense if this is what they desire. The purpose of a public education in a public school is not to teach kids only what parents want them to be taught. It is to teach them what society needs them to know. The client of the public school is not the parent, but the entire community, the public.”

Parents were outraged, noting schools are paid for with their property taxes and many willingly support millage proposals for more funding during election time. And, of course, there would be no public schools if they didn’t send their children. Also, if parents are not in the “society,” who is, and what does the “society” want their children to learn?

Ryan Kelley, a candidate for Michigan governor, pointed out The Revised School Code Act 451 of 1976 says, “It is the natural, fundamental right of parents and legal guardians to determine and direct the care, teaching, and education of their children.”

Former Detroit Chief of Police James Craig, who is also running for governor issued a strong statement. “Some in Gov Whitmer’s party are continuing the trend of Democrats across the country who want parents taken out of the equation in educating their own children.” He said, “It’s disgraceful and demonstrates that they have an agenda of indoctrination, not education.”

The Michigan Democrat Party removed their post after backlash, claiming “the post does not reflect the views of Michigan Democrats and should not be misinterpreted as a statement of support from our elected officials or candidates.”

Michigan Republican Party spokesperson Gustavo Portela said, “Deleting a post is an admission of guilt.”

Democrats nationwide have been tipping their hand that parents are an obstacle to their endgame. Biden’s DOJ was entangled in a massive scandal after issuing a memo in response to a coordinated letter between the National School Board Association and the White House, requesting tools like the Patriot Act be used against parents like Scott Smith. He was arrested at a school board meeting in Loudon County, Virginia, for getting rowdy after his daughter was sexually assaulted by a boy wearing a skirt in the girl’s bathroom. The Superintendent also lied at this same meeting, stating there were no records of assaults in bathrooms.

Terry McAuliffe lost the Virginia governor’s race after stating parents shouldn’t tell schools what to teach, paving the way for a Youngkin victory and a red sweep.

The Michigan School Board was hit with a flurry of requests to speak at their January meeting, once parents learned about their resolutions involving masking and critical race theory type curriculum. The mask resolution failed, but their resolution on “Teaching Comprehensive History” did pass, 5-2. There are only two Republicans on the school board, the two no votes.

This summer, I had a conversation with the Democrat Party Chair of Oakland County. Though she admitted to being unfamiliar with critical race theory, she defended it and said the parents who come to school board meetings were “foaming at the mouth” and “racist.” As someone who has met many parents and given them the rundown of CRT, many of them are simply concerned about the well-being of their children.

Education will play a major role in the upcoming election. Tudor Dixon, another gubernatorial candidate, proposed a “Parents Right to Know Act,” which would require taxpayer-funded schools to offer transparency on textbooks, library books, course syllabuses, DEI (Diversity Equity, Inclusion) plan, DEI consulting contracts, and all DEI related training.

While CRT has received much pushback, similar sentiments and goals are repackaged as DEI. But some Democrats are bold enough to embrace CRT. Detroit Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti said, “We were very intentional about creating a curriculum, infusing materials, and embedding critical race theory within our curriculum.”

Democrats pitched the American Rescue Plan as a covid relief package, but Biden’s Department of Education published strategies for using the money. “Rebuilding from Covid-19 is an opportunity.” Michigan promoted using an “equity lens” to apportion money. Biden said they needed to provide schools with “resources they need to reopen safely,” but Michigan is using it to challenge “Whiteness and hegemonic epistemologies in school.”

Did that Michigan Democrat post represent the views of Democrats? It obviously represents the path they’re choosing to go down on. Speaking from experience, a post like that wouldn’t have lasted 30 minutes on the Michigan Republican Party page. Someone at the MDP HQ must have realized how wildly unpopular their opinion was. Education is a major fight in the 2022 election. School choice is an important reason why Andrew Gillum lost to powerhouse Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida. McAuliffe, who rejected transparency bills for parents was rejected last year. This could be a huge losing issue for Governor Gretchen Whitmer. So, Democrats will work better on suppressing their opinions.

As the architect of Obamacare once said, “Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage.” He said, “call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical for the thing to pass.”