Schools Archives

How to Improve Your Community’s School System

Parents are increasingly concerned about their children’s schools. From Common Core math, declining literacy requirements, and flat out a-historical history and civics lessons to damaging critical race theories, restorative justice discipline practices, and social justice political activism on the part of teachers and school administrators, it seems that traditional learning is a thing of the past.

Parents are tired of this situation. But what can they do? Where can they go?

In this guide, we hope to help parents engage with teachers and teaching staff, school officials, other parents, and the local community. From simply talking to your child’s teacher to running for office, this guide will help you help your child gain a better education.

Engage with Teachers

Sometimes it can be as simple as calling, emailing, or meeting face-to-face with your child’s teacher. There are some exceptions, but most teachers want parents’ input and to make parents a part of their child’s learning process. Communication shouldn’t be a one-way street. Just like your child’s teacher provides a report card on your child’s educational progress, you should feel free to give feedback to the teacher about what your child is learning.

Here are some ideas for engaging with your child’s school.

If your child is in elementary school, talk to the teacher when the children are dismissed. Usually teachers stand outside the school with their class until they are loaded onto a bus or picked up by a parent or caregiver. This is the perfect time to casually approach a teacher and ask questions about the class or curriculum.
Write an email to the teacher. Sometimes it’s nice to give a teacher some time to consider the note and write a response. Writing a note that is friendly, polite, and inquisitive is a good first step to getting information.
Ask to talk by phone. If the issue is complex or if it’s simply easier to talk by phone, write an email to the teacher asking to make an appointment to speak by phone. It’s nice to give the teacher an option of choosing the best time to talk.
Ask for a face-to-face meeting. Sometimes it’s best to just sit down and chat face-to-face, especially if the issue is hard to discuss or involves your child’s wellbeing. Sometimes it’s nice to offer to bring the teacher coffee (since they can’t leave the building during the day to run to the coffee shop). This is a nice gesture that can often help break the ice before delving into the issue that concerns you.

Ask for the Curriculum, Read It, and Ask for Changes!

First, ASK! You have a right to see your child’s curriculum. And it’s critically important to know what your child is being taught. Too often, parents are shocked to learn—months into the school year—that their children are learning things that are contrary to their family’s religious or personal beliefs, or that seem to contradict facts. The best way to avoid this situation is to ask your child’s teacher for a complete copy of the curriculum (these are usually posted online so it is not a hassle for a teacher to simply email you the curriculum) at the beginning of the school year as well as any information on assignments, class projects, and other material the children will be assigned. But that isn’t enough. Throughout the year, parents should be asking for additions or changes to the curriculum. And you should also ask if your teacher plans to go off plan with any additional assignments.
Second, READ! It doesn’t do you any good to get the curriculum if you don’t read it and highlight areas of concern. Look for words and phrases that might indicate a political message or a lesson that runs contrary to your family’s belief system. Make sure to research the books and authors listed. If you don’t recognize the names or book tiles, use the internet to research them. Also, be sure to review the fiction books your child will be assigned to read.
Third, PUSH for changes! If you’re concerned about your school’s curriculum, speak up. Talk first to the teacher and then to the school principal. Point out what’s of concern, be prepared to give reasons for asking for the changes, and make suggestions for improvements. If your school is integrating Critical Race Theory into the curriculum, suggest the school use the historically-accurate 1776 Curriculum as an alternative.
Fourth, speak to other parents! Ask to speak at a PTA meeting about the curriculum. This can be scary but it’s likely other parents are concerned as well. Simply speaking in calm and measured tones about your concerns at a PTA meeting will help alert parents who are unaware. You might even find allies who are interested in joining you in complaining to the school administration or school board.
Pick your battles! You lose credibility if you object to everything and nitpick about minor issues. Focus on the most egregious and sweeping areas of concern.
It’s your right! The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which passed in 1974, gives parents the right to inspect their child’s educational records and the curriculum.

Opt Out! Take Your Child Out of School Programs

You are the parent! You are ultimately in charge of your child’s education. If, after reading the curriculum and attempting to make changes, you still aren’t comfortable with what’s being taught, opt your child out of that particular program. Specifically, the law protects parents’ rights to opt their children out of sex education classes and standardized tests. The Every Student Succeeds Act allows parents to refuse testing for their children.

Join Your PTA and Take a Leadership Role

Sadly, PTAs are not always reliable for helping parents deal with school officials. That’s why it’s important to get involved and to try to seek a leadership position within the PTA. PTA policies are often driven by its leadership, so get in there and lead! It’s important to be prepared to volunteer a lot of personal time. PTAs need parent volunteers and the way to get a leadership position is to show you care about the school and students. Volunteering will help you learn more about the school and the student population, parents’ concerns, the schools’ philosophy, and teacher and administration goals. You are likely to find allies and even friends! Once in a leadership position, you’ll be better situated to make changes and steer your school toward educational efforts over political activism.

That said, it’s important to know that the national PTA organization is closely aligned with teachers’ unions. In addition, the National PTA organization pushes exclusively left-wing and social justice causes—gun control, higher taxes, environmental regulations, allowing boys in girls’ bathrooms, pushing for critical race theory to be taught in schools, as well as opposing school choice. Not all local PTAs espouse these political ideologies or back these political issues, but the national PTA organization pushes politics instead of standing up for parents and children.

Meet the Superintendent, School Board Members and School Principals

In many school districts, the superintendent and other school officials host regular “coffee meetings” with parents and caregivers. This is a great opportunity to introduce yourself and tell the school officials a little bit about your child and your interest in being an active member of the school community. Regular attendance at these meetings will make you a familiar face, and they might be more willing to listen to you once you’ve established a personal, working relationship with them.

Run for School Board or Another Public Office

That may sound scary but, as a parent, you’re the perfect person to represent other parents and the concerns they have about the public schools. A first step on this journey might be working with the PTA. This will help you meet more parents, get to know the school administration, and learn leadership skills along the way.

Speak Up on Social Media and on Neighborhood Listservs

A good way to share information and to find allies is by using social media platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (see these guides—here, here, here, and here—for more information on these social media platforms). Local communities and even some neighborhoods also have listservs, which are groups dedicated to issues that affect a particular area or community. Depending on the rules of your community’s listservs (some don’t allow political discussions), this might be a good place to post your concerns and engage in polite and civil conversation about issues affecting your community and local school district.

Start a Facebook Group Dedicated to School Reform

Facebook has a feature where you can start a group to promote a particular issue or cause. This is an excellent tool to use for local engagement and community activism.

Don’t like the curriculum your public school is using? Start a “Parents Take Back The Curriculum” group.
Concerned about Critical Race Theory being taught in your public school? Start a “Parents Against Critical Race Theory” group.
Worried about the content of your school’s sex education courses? Start a “Sex Education Parent Information Coalition” group.

This is an excellent way to organize a grassroots group, find like-minded people, take polls and surveys, and get the attention of local media. For more information on starting a Facebook group, see the How To Engage on Facebook document.

Engage Local Media

State and local papers are often looking for content, especially from the perspective of locals. Share your perspective, experiences, and personal views. See the How to Write a Letter to The Editor and the How To Write an Opinion Editorial for more information on these topics.

How to Run for Public Office

Thinking about running for office? That’s great news! But first, it’s helpful to answer a few questions before you decide:

First, why?

Why do you want to run for office?
What problems do you want to solve and are those problems at the local, state, or federal level?
How can you make a difference and why are you the best person for this position?
Are you looking for a part-time or full-time position? What is the time commitment?
Is the position paid? Some elected officials are paid a salary, others are paid a stipend, and others are not paid and only have expenses reimbursed.
Is there a commute? What are the hours?
Some positions require you to live away from home or travel across the state or country, so consider your family obligations and how the position will fit within your current schedule?

Second, when?

When do you want to run?
Are you ready and able to run now?
Are your family and financial obligations met?
Have you done your research about your potential opponents?
When is the next election and how often are elections?
When is the position open?
What are the age requirements for the position?
Are there any other legal requirements that must be met?
Are you in the right mindset? Are you ready to face public criticism, and are you prepared to lose?

Third, where?

Where do you want to run?
Is the current area up for redistricting?
How will that affect your race?

Also, ask yourself if you have these skills, which are useful when running for office:

Public speaking
Fundraising
Recruiting and mobilizing campaign volunteers and supporters
Time management

After answering those questions, consider these next steps:

Learn the filing deadlines and requirements to run for office. You can often find this information on your state/county’s Board of Elections or Secretary of State/Commonwealth’s website.
Learn what legal requirements you may have about announcing your candidacy.
Learn the requirements about fundraising for your campaign and contact your city or state’s office of campaign finance to find out what paperwork you need to file.
Learn the boundaries of your district.
Learn the demographics of your district.
Learn who else has filed to run for office for this position.

The National Conference of State Legislatures has more information on election administration here: https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/election-administration-at-state-and-local-levels.aspx

How to Start a Campaign

Leadership Institute provides a great deal of information, training, and resources for candidates and campaign professionals. Consider taking advantage of a class or boot camp offered in person or virtually. Your state may have an organization or your local political party may offer classes on starting a campaign.

Budget

Figure out how much it may cost to campaign and win for your race.

Check out past races and look at what candidates spent by viewing their publicly listed campaign reports
Prepare a budget for your campaign
- Will your campaign staff be hired or volunteers?
- Will you hire consultants for your campaign? Consultants can be helpful but they are costly. These are experts in their particular area. Common consultants include: General Campaign Consultant (knows the ins and outs of a campaign and can help guide you. Often has partnerships with vendors who will make searching less time consuming), Media (TV/Radio/Digital advertising), Fundraising, Polling, Issue experts, Communications/Public Relations professionals, Legal
Advertising (campaign signs, yard signs), Literature, Photography, Paid media: Radio/TV/digital advertising, Website design and hosting
Events – What events do I want to host?
Polling? Will you pay for a poll? How many polls? When?
Swag – buttons, stickers
What will travel cost? What office equipment will you need?
Headquarters – Will you have one? Do you need to pay to rent a space? Will you need to pay for phones or computers?

Fundraising

Once you have built a budget and determined how much money you will need to raise for a successful campaign, you will need to make a plan to raise the funds.

Ask your friends and family: Build your network and ask everyone you meet to donate to your campaign.
Personal investment by the candidate: some candidates choose to self-finance their campaign partially or fully if he or she has the ability to do so.
PACs: A Political Action Committee will endorse candidates and donate to those who align with their interests. They interview candidates and will give candidates money if they think the candidate is worthy of a donation.
Major donors: see who has donated to campaigns in the past. They may give to your campaign as well.
Events and mail: You may send letters or host in-person campaign events
Loans that you can apply for or get co-signed by someone supporting your run for office
Public funding programs: Some districts have a public funding program that will give candidates taxpayer money for their campaign
In-Kind: Some services and items can be given to campaigns with an in-kind donation.

Website

Build a website that tells voters who you are and why you are the best candidate for the position. Include your bio, the issues you care about/want to fix, ways to donate, including info on donating online, sending a check, and how to give “in-kind,” contact information, event information, and news.

Campaign Plan

Build an outline of your campaign and how you will win. It should cover from the day you announce your campaign to election day.

Things to consider when building your campaign:

How many voters you need to vote for you in order to win
Which voters you will target in order to win
How many people turned out in the last few elections
What issues are most affecting your key constituents
What are the demographics of your district? This will help you frame your message.

Things to include:

Voter outreach
How get your message out
How/when you will engage political leaders and ask for endorsements
Opposition research (including researching yourself)
Campaign operations
Deadlines to meet
Get-Out-The-Vote plan
Election Day Operations and a plan for a recount

Announce your campaign

Things to consider before you announce:

Tell your friends and family
Build a network. Write down a list of everyone you know and contact them asking for their support and a donation
Create a press list and contact them
Make sure your website is live
Have a current headshot taken

If you decide not to run, you can still contribute to your community without being an elected official. Here are some ideas:

Talk to Your Friends: Help your friends and family understand these important issues. Tell them about what’s going on and encourage them to join you in getting involved.
Become a Leader in the Community: Get a group together each month to talk about a political/policy issue (it will be fun! Serve snacks!). Write a letter to the editor. Show up at local government meetings and make your opinions known. Go to rallies. Better yet, organize rallies! A few motivated people can change the world.
Remain Engaged Politically: Too many good citizens see election time as the only time they need to pay attention to politics. We need everyone to pay attention and hold elected officials accountable. Let your Representatives know your opinions. After all, they are supposed to work for you!
Volunteer: You can volunteer your time, talent, and treasure by working with a nonprofit or civic organization that works on issues you care about. Volunteer for or join your local or state political party or volunteer for another candidate
Serve your community: You can serve on a board or commission at the local or state level. This will help you grow as a leader and expand your skillset.
Read more here: Policy Focus: Women in Public Office

Other Resources

These groups provide campaign training and other resources for women interested in running for office.

Read more here: Policy Focus: Women in Public Office
Leadership Institute – provides training in campaigns, fundraising, grassroots organizing, youth politics, and communications. The Institute teaches conservatives of all ages how to succeed in politics, government, and the media.
Women’s Public Leadership Network – provides women with the knowledge and resources to make running for elected office and engaging in the political process easier. Remove barriers and provide support for center- and right-leaning women seeking elected office and appointments.
Running Start – Trains young women to run for office. Educates young women about leadership, campaign strategy, and teamwork.
Republican Women for Progress – Provides campaign training for Republican women. Ensures the full spectrum of Republican women’s voices are represented in the media; develops and supports the pipeline of Republican women who want to lead and run for office, and refocuses the GOP on proper governance and policy.
The Campaign School at Yale (Formerly the Women’s Campaign School at Yale) – a nonpartisan, issue-neutral leadership program, whose mission is to increase the number and influence of women in elected and appointed office in the United States and around the globe. Provides a week-long intense training program at Yale University.
She Should Run – a nonpartisan nonprofit working to dramatically increase the number of women considering a run for public office.

How To Engage with Legislators and Public Officials

The United States Congress is composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. These are federal offices. As a constituent, you are represented by a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and by two U.S. Senators. It is important you know who represents you so that you can communicate with them on the issues you care about.

Your Representative: First, you need to know what congressional district you live in and what member of Congress is responsible for that district. A quick and easy way to do this is to visit www.house.gov. This site will ask for your zip code and once you enter it, you will be told the congressional district in which you live and the name and photograph of your Congressperson. You will also be linked directly to that Congressperson’s website where you can learn how to contact the member and their stance on the issues.

Your Senators: Every state has two U.S. Senators representing the people of that state. You can go to www.senate.gov and there is a tab “Find Your Senators” that will allow you to enter the state in which you live and will tell you the names of your two senators.

The President: The President of the United States invites the public to communicate on any given issue and White House staff is well-equipped to respond to citizen concerns and questions. If you would like to know more about the Administration’s actions or stance on a particular topic, the easiest way to find out is to go to www.whitehouse.gov.

If you prefer to gather information via the telephone you can call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard and ask to be connected to your member’s office. That number is (202) 224-3121. The operator will ask for your zip code and then connect you with your members of Congress.

State and Local Governments

Local representatives—mayors, state representatives, city or council representatives, school board members—are closest to the people and most attuned to the issues facing the state and locality. In order to be engaged in the issues that will definitely impact your daily life, it is important to know who represents you in your state legislature and closer to home in the mayor’s office, county or city councils, and on the school board.

City Level

Most cities have an elected mayor and members of a city council. You can call or email these officeholders and express your concerns and opinions. You can do an online search for you city’s website for their email addresses. Your local public school will also have a website that will list the emails for the superintendent and school board.

State

Almost every state has a bicameral legislature, which means there is an “upper” house, which is smaller and consists of state senators, and another body that is larger and most frequently called the House of Representatives. There is an online resource at www.openstates.org that offers an easy way to discover your state representatives by typing in your home address. This site also allows you to monitor the legislation that is being considered in your state.

County

With the exception of a few states, most states divide their territories into counties. These counties have councils that direct the activities within the state. Council members are elected by their constituents. There are some states without county structures and instead have “boroughs” or “parishes.” In order to learn more about the local governance structure in your state, a good place to begin is your state’s generalized information page, an example would be www.statename.gov. These websites offer information about the state’s governing structures, demographics, tax record, motor vehicle information and much more.

How to Engage

When you reach out to your representative, it’s best to make it personal!

First, introduce yourself and tell them that you are a constituent. This matters to them. It tells them you are a voter. Be respectful and polite but do not apologize for asking them for assistance. It’s their job!
Second, tell them your story in a concise way. Decide ahead of time what you want to communicate so that you can explain things clearly and tell them the specifics of the issue that concerns you.
Third, ask them to follow up with you. You can ask to have the name of a Legislative Assistant that can help you in the future.
Fourth, follow up. If you spoke to a representative in person, follow up with a note summarizing the issue and asking for a follow-up call or letter.
Enlist others in your community to reach out as well and carry your message. There is safety in numbers but numbers also get attention. Encourage your friends, neighbors, and others in your community who might be affected by the issue to join you in reaching out.

Template Letters: Opt Your Children Out of Wearing Masks

States, including Virginia, have been working to ensure that parents can opt their children out of wearing masks in schools. Here are templates you can use to write to school administrators and teachers. There is a template for the state of Virginia and one for other states.

Virginia

Date

Dear [NAME],

We were thrilled to hear that our democratic process is working across the state and that our elected officials have recognized the rights of parents to make decisions about their children’s health and wellbeing. Our children have suffered learning losses from school mask mandates for far too long. As you know, SB739 was signed into law on February 16 and will go into effect on March 1. Our children will attend school on March 1 without masks. Consider this our official mask opt-out for our children.

Thank you,

YOUR NAME

Other States

Date

Dear [NAME]

We are thrilled that masks are soon to become optional in schools. We are thrilled that you recognize the importance and right of parents to make decisions about their children’s health and wellbeing. Our community’s children have suffered learning loss from school mask mandates for far too long. Consider this our official mask opt-out for our child[ren].

Thanks you,

YOUR NAME

Download the PDF

How To: Submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request

Sadly, school administrators are becoming increasingly adversarial when it comes to parents asking for information about their child’s education. Whether it’s questions about the curriculum, teacher activities in the classroom, discipline practices, school budgetary decisions, or school security issues, parents are often ignored, put off, or even told they don’t have a right to know.

It shouldn’t be that way. Parents deserve better!

The Freedom of Information Act (commonly called FOIA, pronounced “foy-ya”) became law in 1966. The law gives the public access to most, but not all, official records from any federal agency.

FOIA has become an important tool in keeping the federal government ethical and accountable and its policymaking practices transparent, and it has been used to expose government misconduct and financial waste, along with threats to the public’s health and safety.

While the FOIA applies to the federal government, each of the 50 states (as well as the District of Columbia and some territories) have passed similar sunshine laws, providing citizens with the records they need to keep their local government accountable.

If you want to file a FOIA request, follow these steps:

Identify the agency that has the records being sought. Visit the agency’s website and follow the instructions for submitting a request. This will typically involve an online portal or an email option. Each federal agency handles its own records in response to requests.
Be as specific as possible in describing the desired records. The narrower the request, the higher the chance the relevant records will be provided in a timely manner. For example, if seeking Privacy Act records about a living person other than oneself, a consent form must be included with the request. Most agencies will have a link to the request form on the FOIA/PA websites.
Submit the request and wait for the agency to respond. Legally, an agency has 20 business days to do so. Simply acknowledging receipt does not count. The agency may say more time is needed to locate and review the records, but the requester is not legally bound to agree to an extension.
If the request is denied in full or in part, the response letter will include instructions for filing an administrative appeal. Therefore, a superior manager will take a second look at the request. However, success varies depending on the reasons for the denial.
Costs? The total cost depends on the agency. A simple, low volume request including electronic records may not cost anything; if it is a time-consuming search requiring several copies, however, there may be search and duplication fees. For example, the State Department requires search fees range from $21 to $76 per hour depending on the category of personnel conducting the search. Duplicated records are set at approximately $.15 per page. It helps to indicate the amount one is willing to spend or ask to be contacted if the fee will be over a set amount. And, of course, some agencies are more flexible than others on fee thresholds. Most will have a fee explanation on their FOIA website. Alternatively, fees may be waived if inquired.

Facebook: Engage Locally, Find Local Allies, Engage Local Media

What Is Facebook?

Facebook is a social media platform where individuals can share information with their family members, friends, and acquaintances. By setting up an account, you can “friend” people you know, follow news accounts, certain organizations, companies, political figures, celebrities, and other entities that matter to you—like your kid’s school or PTA or a particular store that you like. While you can “friend” anyone, Facebook is usually used to share more personal details of one’s life—family photos, stories, updates and memories. You can also share information and news that you find interesting or useful.

How To Get Started on Facebook…

Go to www.facebook.com.
Hit the green button that says, “Create a new account”.
Fill in the information on the Sign Up page.
That’s it!

Rules for Posting: The content has to meet Facebook’s community standards rules.

What is a Facebook Group?

Facebook has a feature where you can start a group to promote a particular issue or cause. This is an excellent tool to use for local engagement and community activism.
Don’t like the curriculum your public school is using? Start a “Parents Take Back the Curriculum” group.
Concerned about Critical Race Theory taught in your public school? Start a “Parents Against CRT” group.
Concerned about the content of your school’s sex education courses? Start a “Sex Education Parent Information Coalition” group.
Is your school board or Superintendent not listening to the concerns of parents? Start a “Parents Stand Up for Change” group.

How to start a Facebook Group:

Explain Your Group’s Goals: A three or four sentence paragraph in the “About” section is more than enough.

Example #1: “The [insert town name or school district name here] Special Education Parent Support (ASEPS) group was established to provide support, training, resources, and inspiration to families of children with special needs. This group also advocates on behalf of special needs families with the [insert school district] leadership, school board, and special education teachers and case workers.”
Example #2: “This group was established in [enter date] to allow [insert city or school district, etc.] parents and caregivers to vent their frustrations with city officials, who are ignoring their concerns. The lack of truthfulness and transparency has become a pattern across a number of policy decisions and proposals. Decisions are routinely made without valid data, justification of need, and support from the very residents who will be most impacted.

Introduce Yourself and Tell Your Story: It doesn’t have to be too detailed but a personal story is always a great way to get people talking.
Establish “Rules” for the Group: These rules are simply a way to keep the conversations civil and the language clean. It also helps you control who remains in the group. If someone continues to break the rules (for instance, by insulting other members or using bad language), you can remind them of the rules or kick them out of the group.
Require Entry Questions: Before joining the group, they must be approved by an admin once the questions are answered. This is to help filter and ensure the quality of the group is maintained and that members are there to contribute to meaningful dialogue.

So you’ve started a Facebook Group. Now what?

Regularly Post to the Group Board: Encourage conversation by adding, “what are your thoughts?” at the end of the post to encourage conversation and debate. Ask people to share their own experiences and stories.
Encourage Story Telling among Group Members: Highlight a particular member of the group each month. Conduct polls by asking people to comment on a post.
Share Information from Groups You Trust: There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. The women at Independent Women’s Forum produce timely and helpful policy papers, fact check documents, talking points, infographics, media content, and videos that can be shared with group members.
Find Moderators: Choose a few trusted members of the group to share in the moderation duties. It is critical to keep an eye on the comments that are made to ensure your group stays true to its mission statement and that rules are followed.
Conduct a Poll: IWN regularly conducts polls, asking group members the content in which they’re most interested. See an example here. You can allow users to elect one choice or multiple choices. It’s up to you!
Beware of Trolls: They may join and try to encourage comments that you may not want on your group’s page. You can control who becomes a member of the group by having those who ask to become members answer a number of questions prior to accepting them into the group. This allows you to monitor who is gaining access and stop any familiar names you don’t want as members.

Post a Disclaimer: You may want to add a legal disclaimer that states that posts and in this group are a reflection of the thoughts and opinion of the individual who has made the post and do not reflect those of [insert your group’s name here].