Could school boards really be the things that ultimately end democracy in the United States? I know that seems like a pretty outrageous statement. However, if you think about it, maybe it’s not all that outrageous – scary yes, but not all that outrageous. There are several things that can cause a wooden house to collapse. If you live in some place like California and the house is not built to current building standards, a severe earthquake can knock it off of its foundation and cause it to collapse. If there is a fire, it could burn to the ground. And if it is infested by termites, it could eventually collapse.
In the current political climate, the house of democracy is being subjected to all three. The election of Donald Trump to the presidency was probably the earthquake. That was a huge shock to the foundation of democracy and the house was knocked a bit off of the foundation. Trump’s refusal to acknowledge his loss in the 2020 election and the ongoing efforts by himself and his acolytes to push ‘The Big Lie’ are essentially a fire that is threatening the house of democracy. Those are the things that have been getting the majority of the news coverage.
What is going on in school boards across the country is more like a termite infestation that continually weakens a house from the inside out – and which can ultimately lead to its collapse. School boards used to be primarily concerned with ensuring a good education for students. However, between the political polarization of the country and the onset of the pandemic, school boards have become local battlegrounds for conservatives to object to mask mandates, the teaching of Critical Race Theory (not that any of the parents objecting can clearly and accurately articulate what it is), and basically wanting to dictate what is being taught in public schools.
The National School Boards Association outlines what a school board should be focused on at the local level1:
- Education is not a line item in a school board’s budget—it is the only item.
- The school board represents the community’s voice in public education, providing citizen governance and knowledge of the community’s resources and needs, and board members are the policy-makers closest to the student.
- The school board sets the standard for achievement in the school district, incorporating the community’s view of what students should know and be able to accomplish at each grade level.
- The school board is accessible to everyone in the community and is accountable for the performance of the schools in the district.
- It is the community member’s right as a voter to select new board members who will work diligently to provide an opportunity for students to receive a high-quality education, which will enable them to succeed in their career, college, and life.
- The school board is the community’s education watchdog, ensuring that taxpayers get the most for their tax dollars.
That all sounds quite reasonable. However, school boards have become the venues for shouting matches, violence and even death threats against school board members and their families. The issues are all of the culture war topics that have consumed the conservative community – mask mandates, Critical Race Theory, transgender student rights, and whatever other issue people like Tucker Carlson (Fox News) decide to fan the flames on. Whereas there has, in the past, been community disagreements about things like how math is taught, the discussions were, by and large civil. Now, more and more school board members are resigning because of threats and harassment by conservative activists intent on pushing their beliefs on the rest of the world – regardless if those beliefs are rooted in facts.
Not only that, there are now Political Action Committees (PACs), that are aimed squarely at school boards. There are conservative organizations that are recruiting and supporting people to run for school boards. This is all being done under the guise of ‘parents’ rights’, which, if you read a recent blog of mine is just Newspeak for ‘conservative control’. I think it is great to get parents involved in their children’s education. However, I want professional educators to do the educating and medical professionals and public health experts to make decisions on what constitutes a ‘safe’ learning environment. I don’t want some parent who is under-educated, anti-science, and brainwashed by Fox News, to be able to dictate the curriculum in schools or interfere with public health decisions made by medical professionals. This will just lead to the further dumbing (and sickening) of America. That, in turn, will lead to more people who are subject to being brainwashed, swept up in conspiracy theories and unable to engage in critical thought based upon facts and data. And, in the long run, this type of ‘virus’ is even more deadly to the long term survival of democracy than COVID 19.
There are thousands of school boards across the country. Attacking all of the entities at the local level is akin to having the termites infest the house. It might seem innocent at first, but the long-term consequences can be devastating. And, unfortunately, by the time you realize the scope of the infestation and the damage it has caused – it is too late – and the house collapses!