Public schools are not the only ones pushing political ideologies and agendas. Of late, many private schools are doing much of the same teaching of extremism.
It is important to know that private schools are not funded by the government, they are not beholden to the same legal protections that students in public schools benefit from. Private schools are not ruled by school boards, state legislatures or elected officials. For all of these reasons, private schools are able to shift the direction of their teaching philosophies very quickly. If your school has shifted to be “woke” there are still some powerful tools you can use to influence your schools and get them back on track. Keep in mind that private schools are very concerned about raising money and in keeping up their reputation as a prestigious institution with standards of excellence. Telling the truth about the school’s activism is a powerful tool for influencing a private school’s curriculum and policies.
Parents Defending Education has put together the following plan for addressing private schools that have gone woke:
Organize – If you’re concerned, then many other parents, alums, students, and teachers are concerned as well. Find them, talk to them, and organize a united front. The more the better, but you should also be discreet in how you approach people. The members of your group should ask the head of the school for meetings to express their concerns. In our experience, very little comes from these meetings – but before escalating, the right thing to do, if you feel comfortable doing it, is to share your concerns directly and personally with the head of the school.
Publicize – The single most important building block of any reform effort is showing people the truth about how the school is changing. Remember that donors, alums, prospective students, and parents typically interact with the school through its officials, where the reality of indoctrination and extremism will never be disclosed. To cut through this filter, you can join parents and students at many other schools by starting a “woke at” Instagram page where examples of woke excesses are documented
Pressure – Write a press release to local and national media directing them to your Instagram page. You can make sure parents, donors, alums, and especially members of the school’s board see it (and this can even be done anonymously). Develop a list of demands for reform that you can present to school officials. Encourage parents to withhold contributions to annual fund drives, explicitly over the school’s embrace of a woke agenda.
Additional Resources:
- Woke Schooling: A Toolkit for Concerned Parents, Manhattan Institute
