School board elections take center stage
October 28, 2022 | Montgomery County, TX
Parents across the country have become increasingly concerned about indoctrination in the classroom, such as pronoun propaganda, Critical Race Theory (CRT), the transgender push, and teachers focused on political messaging instead of academics. Montgomery County has not been immune to these issues.
According to The Epoch Times, “Past and present teachers at Conroe Independent School District (ISD) said they were told by training staff to affirm a student’s gender identity by using preferred pronouns and names. They also were instructed to withhold that information from parents.”
Allegations from teachers and Conroe ISD’s response »
In July, Texas Education Agency Commissioner, Mike Morath, testified to the Texas House Public Education Committee that materials have been made available to students that “the common citizen would agree would be inappropriate.”
As parents increasingly expressed their concerns, the annual Texas Education Conference, held in San Antonio, Sept. 23-25, offered a session titled, “Controversies in the Classroom: How to Respond to Parent Concerns Over Instructional Issues.” The session description reads:
“From challenges to instructional resources to complaints about social studies curriculum categorized as “critical race theory,” schools must respond to parent concerns about what their children are learning at school. Otherwise, dissatisfied parents may look to home schooling or vouchers as a result. Join school attorneys as they walk through the challenges many districts face with respect to what is taught in the classroom and the impact of privatization of education.”
According to an email from the Republican Party of Texas dated Oct. 3, “Education and parents’ rights are at the forefront of Texans’ minds and the Texas GOP’s platform. Local elections for school boards can no longer be considered non-partisan.”
Because political party affiliation is not provided on the ballot for school board elections, the Montgomery County Republican Party has identified Republican school board candidates and included them on the Voter Guide for Montgomery County Races. Voters should review their sample ballot to determine if a school board election is taking place in their district on Nov. 8.
Research candidates by attending meet and greets, reading candidate websites, and answering the following questions:
Will this candidate emphasize academic skills over political or social issues?
Does this candidate want to protect students from the push towards alterative lifestyles?
Does this candidate believe in the importance of authentic American history?
Does this candidate believe in parental control of education?
Finally, be aware of political action committees using “Republican” in their name. This does not always mean they are affiliated with the Republican Party. Some of these groups print flyers exclusively during election season to get their candidates elected.