Students First, Parents Always

Students are forever our utmost priority. The entire education system exists to serve the students who attend its institutions, and in every action, decision, program, and policy, the benefit of the student must be the primary concern. While parents entrust their children to our educational system, parents are the primary overseers of their children's upbringing; schools serve the students but are ultimately accountable to parents. Parents play a vital role in their child's education, and their voice is heard through the governing school board.

Our children should be provided a robust education based on facts, including rigorous instruction in math, science, civics, history, literature, and the arts. Politics has no place in our classrooms. Schools should not serve as a platform for agendas, ideologies, activism, or machinations. The purpose of the education system is to educate, creating an environment where students learn in a fact-based, ideologically neutral setting, embracing multiple perspectives and sources without bias or favoritism. Our children deserve an environment where they can receive instruction free from divisive narratives and contentious social mores. 

It is the responsibility of parents to instill the particular set of values, morals, and principles they deem appropriate in their children. Similar to the founding fathers' separation of Church and State, so should a degree of separation exist between school and families. If social reform is desired, it should be taught in the home by parents rather than the classroom. While schools play a vital role in fostering healthy societal habits, they should not be co-parents.

Parents have a constitutional right to raise their children as they see fit and make decisions about their children's education. Consequently, parents have the right to be informed about the curriculum and have a say in directing their child's education. They do not, however, have the right to disrupt classroom instruction. While delivering a customized curriculum to each student based on parental preferences is impractical, the school board, elected by parents, must actively receive, consider, and act upon parents' wishes on a large scale, representing the voice and interests of parents within the school district for the benefit and well-being of all district children.

Parents must become active participants in their child's education and their local school community. Student success does not rest solely on the teacher, but rather a combination of the teacher and parents together. The single most influential factor in student success is the parent-teacher relationship, and the two must develop close relationships with one another to drive a positive student outcome. A governing school board must empower teachers and parents. They do this by establishing a culture that values both teachers and parents, facilitates communication, reinforces cooperation, and builds trust.