Culture Matters: Making My Public School Experience Public

Lessons I’ve learned and reflections I have upon leaving the public school system

School is officially out for summer! I can hardly believe how quick the school year went by, especially when I think of how it began.

The anger. The tension. The uncertainty. The truth slowly making its way into the light. Spending last summer naively hopeful that the 2021-2022 school year would be different than the 2020-2021 school year. That life would finally return to normal.

It was wishful thinking, but far from reality.

In this detailed Culture Matters article, I recount my parental experience within the public school system and share my reflections on what I learned throughout the process of defending my parental rights and ultimately, why I chose to remove my children from the public school system. It is my intent for this article to provide you with insight into the public school system while offering you encouragement to pursue the best educational options available for your family’s unique situation and your child’s individual learning needs.

My experience as a public-school parent

I’ll be honest with you – as a young adult envisioning myself as a future parent, I never considered sending my future children to the public school. In fact, my personal opinions towards public school were quite unfavorable merely because as of my experience attending private Catholic school from K-12. (Yes, it is a humbling, yet true confession to admit I was a bit of a private school snob. Please give me grace as I am not the person I once was.)

My opinion of public school changed when I resided in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (for the first 3.5 years I was married and nearly a full year of motherhood).
Two things changed my mind – 90% of my Texan friends were teachers and all of them were Christians who loved the public schools they taught at. That was all it took for me to switch from a “private school is the only option” mentality to “free schooling is the better option.”

Unfortunately, we left Texas before my first-born was old enough to attend primary school. After briefly living in Atlanta, my young family moved back home to West Michigan where my daughter began primary school. Two years of preschool at a Christ-centered private school was a wonderful experience, though not so much for our commute or pocketbook. When my oldest began kindergarten, I was pregnant with my third child and a stay-at-home mom of a rambunctious two-year-old. Truth be told, I was a young mom who desired ease and convenience.

For kindergarten, my husband and I decided to transfer our daughter out of the private school and into a school that was closer to home – the public school. From what I recall, the year started off well and we felt like we hit the jackpot with having a loving and attentive kindergarten teacher. We believed our decision to pursue public school was a decision we wouldn’t regret. And we didn’t…until halfway into the school year when we unexpectedly relocated across the country to Scottsdale, AZ.

From the first day of school (within Scottsdale Unified School District), something felt “off.” The staff wasn’t very friendly and I remember feeling disappointed that no one at our new elementary school took the time to give us a tour, introduce us to our daughter’s teacher or the school principal, or assign my six-year-old a “buddy” to help her through her first week at a new school in a state that was far from home. As you can imagine, my kindergartener felt like a fish out of water, foreign to her environment, and alone in a sea full of strangers. I will never forget what she told me that first week – no one would sit with her at lunchtime on her first or second day of school so she spent the remainder of the week eating on the toilet in the girls bathroom. Yeah. Full D.J. Tanner style.

She ended up making a few friends over the 2.5 years (kindergarten-2^nd grade) she attended that school, but there are a few things I want to highlight from that period:

While my daughter was in 1^st grade, she experienced 4 months of racial harassment (the bullying was conducted by one student). It was addressed with the student and the parents but nonetheless persisted for 4 months without any change or teacher acknowledgement.
Also in 1^st grade, my daughter was routinely bullied and screamed at by her 1^st grade teacher for no acceptable reason whatsoever. This was reported to me by a room parent who described the behavior as such and was apparently due to my daughter not finishing her classwork in the time manner the teacher preferred.
Between my daughter’s 1^st grade and 2^nd grade year, our principal abruptly resigned (she was fairly new) and school enrollment dropped significantly (a district report can be found here)
During the first month of 2^nd grade, my daughter was exposed to pornography through unfiltered and unrestricted internet access. There were also images that were being “sexted” by middle schoolers (on their personal devices and during the school day) who “flashed” the images to young elementary students in passing.
Also during my daughter’s 2^nd grade year, there was a reoccurring incident of alcohol smuggling into the school by middle school students for the purpose of selling the alcohol to other students who would then pour the alcohol into their school-approved, parent-delivered frozen coffee or tea drinks. Outside beverages from Starbucks, Dutch Bros or other vendors was eventually prohibited on school property, but several students enjoyed the added “buzz” before the ban.
There was an AZ teachers strike while we lived there that kept the students out of school for several weeks. It was all over the news and I remember our teachers wearing red, holding signs, and protesting outside our school building. I’ll be honest, I had no interest in learning why they were striking and instead ignorantly enjoyed the extra “free time” provided by my children not being in school.

It wasn’t the most pleasant public-school experience, to say the least, and sadly, it ended up supporting my initial opinions towards the public school system.

During my daughter’s 2^nd grade year, my husband and I began seeking other schooling options as so many of our parental peers did the year prior. We found a respected Christian school that came highly recommended by our AZ friends and we intended to transfer our children to this school the following year but never did because God called us back home to MI. Two weeks after I gave birth to my 4^th child and a few days following the end of the school year, my family left the desert to relocate back home to the Great Lakes State.

By this time, my oldest was entering third grade and my second child was entering kindergarten (fortunately, she had a lovely preschool experience in AZ). We returned to the same public school district we were a part of when my first-born was in kindergarten, however, we were enrolled into a different elementary school and affiliated with a different high school within the district (our district has three high schools). That didn’t matter to us, though, because we had a wonderful experience years prior and believed that would continue. After all, this district was sought-after and “ranked” as one of the top districts in the state. Real estate in the area boasted of the district’s reputation which drove potential home buyers to this suburb of Grand Rapids, specifically for its schools.

There was a new family orientation scheduled a week before the start of the 2018-2019 school year for all new families at our K-4 school. Contrary to our “new family” experience at our Scottsdale school, our new school in West Michigan was welcoming of new families and even paired new students with a “buddy” to assist them throughout their first year.

Our first year at our new school was also the first year for the school’s new principal. Even though he was “new,” I still held his position to a high standard of knowledge and authority. After our experience within SUSD, I attended that new parent orientation with my guard up, my alert high, and my mama bear instincts strong. I openly grilled him on various school policies, in particular, personal tech ownership policies as well as school use of technology, bullying, and intervention. Yeah, I was totally the annoying mom asking all the questions and I could sense our new principal wasn’t feeling it – he was either overwhelmed by the questions or his inability to thoroughly answer them or he just didn’t appreciate my probing. I remember feeling like the principal was annoyed by my persistence and wasn’t fond of my nose for sniffing out ideological garbage.

That new family orientation was only the beginning of my questioning and inquiring. For three years, I discerned some programs and curriculum that appeared to be promoting a leftist agenda or ulterior motive. When certain content was repeatedly presented or published in weekly newsletters, I would ask questions to learn more.

Every time I voiced a concern (to a teacher, staff member or administrator), I would receive a phone call from the principal. In every instance, he politely attempted to assure me that none of my concerns (based on what I experienced in AZ) would be an issue in this public school district.

I know now what he was really communicating – sit down and shut up.

When things became public in my public school system

I’m not going to waste time recapping what it was like to become an unplanned homeschooling parent during the pandemic. It was less than ideal but like many parents it gave me a front row seat to observe what my children were learning along with the worldview in which they were being taught.

Even though I wasn’t fully confident in my children’s curriculum and the academic environment they were a part of, I didn’t think twice about sending them “back to school” for the 2020-2021 school year because I did not want to homeschool or monitor virtual learning. I wish I wouldn’t have been so selfish and naive. Not only was that school year the least normal school year ever experienced (i.e. mandatory masks, mandatory quarantining for positive cases and close contacts, class cohorts, monitored social-distancing, eating lunch outside, daily Covid symptom reporting, no guests allowed in the school, no school events, activities, or class parties, and the list went on.), it was also high with political division and social tension.

My oldest was in 5^th grade that year and she claims it was the worst year of her life (her words, not mine). Every single day, no exaggeration, she came home from school sad, angry, confused, or downright deflated. Because of the cohorts, she wasn’t allowed to mingle with friends who had a different teacher than her and of course that year she did not have any friends in her class.

Throughout the year, my husband and I encouraged her to make new friends but that became difficult after her teacher asked the students to raise their hand if their parents voted for Donald Trump [during the 2020 election].

As one of three students who raised their hand, a target was immediately placed on my daughter’s back. That didn’t stop her from seeking friends or at least, socially interacting with her peers, all of whom were outwardly proud of their liberal beliefs and/or expressive of their gender identity. In 5^th grade. No joke. Nearly every night at dinner my daughter would tell us about another student coming out as gay, bi, or trans, or about a student who wore some type of woke shirt, bragged about Biden’s decency and unity, or some other type of politically driven nonsense that, in my opinion, should not be discussed in the school setting or by a 10- or 11-year-old student.

It was during the 2020/2021 school year that I started to become more bold and more vocal.

In February 2021, there was a graphic published in my elementary school’s weekly newsletter [for three consecutive weeks] that showed 5 or 6 children of varying skin colors lined up in order of privilege with the white-skinned child at the head of the line wearing medals of honor and looking at his reflection in a mirror.

The info-graphic was promoting a district-wide program called, Global Learners Initiative (GLI), and encouraged parents to reach out to their GLI campus coordinator if they were interested in learning more about the program or getting their child involved. After weeks of seeing this same info-graphic, I was compelled to reach out to the coordinator who also happened to be one of my children’s teachers. Long story short, I expressed my concerns for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs (which GLI clearly was) as well as the potential influence of critical race theory (CRT) within my district’s GLI program. Similar to how my other concerns were addressed years prior, I was assured by not just my school’s GLI coordinator but also my school’s principal that GLI was in no way, shape, or form affiliated with CRT.

This time I knew better because I had spent 7 months (before learning about GLI) studying CRT. When you study anything intently and extensively, especially a theory that has been used to understand sociology as it applies to race, class, and gender you begin to spot its influence everywhere. You see and understand how this theory has been used to develop public, corporate, and academic policies.

After my conversations with both the GLI coordinator and my elementary principal, I came to two conclusions – either these individuals did not know what CRT is or they blatantly lied to me.

There was a virtual school board meeting shortly after this incident that became the first school board meeting I ever “attended.” I attended the virtual school board meeting because I was informed by a friend that I wasn’t the only parent concerned about GLI. After the first public comment, I “raised” my hand on Zoom to enter the speaking queue. Every individual who desired to speak was allotted 3-5 minutes to convey their message. When I had “raised my hand,” there were 8 people ahead of me so I figured it would be my turn to speak within 30 minutes (give or take). As I listened to the comments, majority of which were in support of GLI (and many individuals thought it beneficial to loudly and angrily broad brush our district as white supremacist and bigoted as well as defame any opposing viewpoint), I began making notes on what I was going to say. Three hours went by, and public comments transitioned into the superintendent’s closing remarks. I was never called on.

Weeks later I learned I was “flagged” by the board and bypassed intentionally as a public commentator. [For more on this GLI incidence as well as some wisdom I was receiving during that time, please visit my Instagram page @thisischristenfox where I posted two videos around March 2021 titled, Part 1: Equip, Elect, Empower and Part 2 Equip, Elect, Empower and Part 2: Equip, Elect, Empower]

Fast forward to August 2021…

My family was glad we survived a year of untraditional schooling through our local public school and were hopeful that things would actually return to “normal” come the start of the 2021/2022 school year. I’ll be honest, I was quite optimistic despite the unfortunate circumstances of Covid and the terrible 5^th grade year my oldest experienced. Part of my optimism came from viewing the weekly vlog reports published by my district’s superintendent where he spoke encouraging words each week and alluded that school would be more “normal” come August. Throughout the summer, his reports supported parental rights to choose the best learning environments (in person, hybrid, or remote/online) as well as a parent’s right to make medical decisions for each child’s unique needs (mask or no mask, vax or no vax). Watching each vlog made me feel confident that my district was on my side – that being, supportive of my role and rights as a parent.

Exactly one week before the start of the 2021/2022 school year, a district-wide email was sent to all parents stating a change in the mask and vax policy – Masks were going to be required for all students in grades Pre-K through 6 and any unvaccinated people (regardless of age or grade) while inside all school buildings. Almost immediately after the email was sent out, my phone started blowing up with text messages from friends within the district [who also supported parental rights]. It was through this exchange of text messages that I became aware of a school board meeting being held later that same day.

Hmmm, coincidence?

It was the first in-person school board meeting since Covid and the turnout was significant; several hundred parents for sure, maybe more than a thousand people were in attendance. In the hours leading up to the meeting, I prepared myself to speak but had no idea what I was going to speak about. I ended up being one of the first 15 people to speak that night, making notes in line as I waited for my turn. When it was my turn on the mic, I chose to speak about parental rights and the freedom to choose what is best for a person’s specific and individual needs. Even though I was unprepared in my speech, my speech was prepared to deliver (all glory to Him!). I was swarmed that night by fellow like-minded, patriotic parents (and in fact, I still have random people in my community who tell me they attended that school board meeting and were inspired by my speech; you can view a video of this speech on both my Instagram and Facebook pages, @thisischristenfox).

Turns out I wasn’t alone. Far from it.

That next day I became a part of an underground parent movement within my district that had just under one hundred parents when I joined and ended up growing exponentially each week for the first few months of the 2021/2022 school year. It was a God-send in every way imaginable and I was so grateful to have found my “people.”

All of the concerns I had, deception I suspected, and stench that lingered but I couldn’t detect where it was coming from…it was not distinct to me or my situation.

Other parents, especially those who had middle school and high school students or students who had graduated from the district, shared similar convictions with me along with a parent’s keen ability to discern what is best for their child. I cannot stress this enough – it felt so good to know I was not alone. I was not being hypersensitive, overprotective, or uber-conservative. I was being a good parent who was in tune with the culture but tuned into the Spirit. Knowing I had a community surrounding me and supporting me boosted my confidence and strengthened my determination to fight for not just my children but also for the thousands of others who were in my district.

However, on my first day with this group it became apparent that the mask and vax issues were merely a symptom of a greater cancer that was rapidly spreading throughout all areas of our district. I knew I had to get involved. I had to enter this fight.

If I was going to go “all in,” I had to remove my children from the battlefield.

Refuge and War

Two days before the first day of school, we pulled three of our children from the public school and enrolled them into a private Christian school. It was unplanned and a bit hectic during that first week, but on the first day of school I knew it was not just the right decision, but the best decision. I said this to my husband many times throughout the school year –

Removing our children from the public school and enrolling them into the private Christian school was the best parenting decision we have ever made.

Trusting my kids where in a safe, welcoming, and loving environment, I was able to continue fighting alongside my public-school peers. From late August through December 2021, I was actively involved with the once-underground now-public parent movement and was even offered a leadership position to assist with media and communication. I met some incredible people during those months and connected with respected professionals who resided in my community and shared my faith and politics. Additionally, I attended and spoke at two more school board meetings – there was some drama at the September meeting where my mic was silenced, while the speech I gave at the October meeting garnered a standing ovation from parents on “the opposition.” (You can view both videos on either my Facebook or Instagram platforms, @thisischristenfox.)

During those months, I learned A LOT about my district…too much…heavy stuff…it weighed on me…occupied my brain space…kept me up at night…it became too much.

So many lies, cover-ups, and deception were exposed. Through the Freedom of Information Act (requested and obtained by the founders of the parent group I was affiliated with), I was able to access hundreds of documents pertaining specifically to the district’s denial of CRT within its K-12 schools. The documents revealed my district didn’t just know about CRT but was using it to create curriculum, programming, and policy. The most shocking to me, though, was learning I was included in the FOIA documents.

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I became physically ill upon reviewing my “file.” Remember those conversations and suspicions I had back in February and March 2021 about GLI masquerading as CRT? Remember how I never got called on during the March 2021 virtual school board meeting despite “raising my hand” to speak? In October 2021, I discovered why.

Through the FOIA, I was able to see a paper trail of emails between myself and my principal as well as how he handled my emails. Not only did he forward them to district officials, but there were email threads about my personal conversations with my principal and their classification of me as a “problem parent.” (That wasn’t the exact label used, but it was inferred throughout the email threads amongst the administrators as they referred to me as “parents like these,” “not on board…” and “conservative”)

At this point in my public-school battle, the evil and deceit were obvious and the agenda crystal clear. Still, seeing the physical proof that my district was against me, Christen Fox, mom of five, made me sick to my stomach.
But it also fanned the flame that was already blazing. Mama bear was officially poked.

What was unveiled through the FOIA was only the tip of the iceberg.* There were records of inappropriate books found within the libraries at most of my district’s schools and presumably countless more hidden within the private classroom libraries (which are uncatalogued and unreviewed by the district and often gifted or personally donated by the teacher to his or her own classroom). And just to be clear, when I say “inappropriate” books I’m referring to sexually explicit books that contained violence, abuse, rape, profanity, LBGTQ+ themes, and more.

Additionally, I became aware of my district’s use and endorsement of the popular Lucy Calkins’ curriculum at its K-8 schools. If you’re unfamiliar, as I was last year, the Lucy Calkins’ curriculum is built upon critical theories, including critical race theory and gender theories (i.e. feminist theory, queer theory). You can learn more about this “social justice driven” curriculum here.

I started feeling conflicted [about my involvement] in November 2021. I wanted to fight. I felt called to fight, especially for the parents, teachers, and administrators who were unable or too scared to fight or too blind to see the mess in front of them. Yet, I also wanted to get involved at my children’s new school and educate those who were unaware of the evil lingering in their own backyard (and funded by their tax dollars). My passion was strong, but my time was limited. I realized I was expending my energy fighting for other people’s kids and was becoming too depleted to fight for my own.

I was in the thick of it, surrounded by an amazing group of people, but I knew what I had to do.

Right before Christmas, I removed myself from the parent army. It was an emotional decision and one that weighed on me heavily but also, it freed me. I promised those I was working closely with that I would still support them from afar by referring parents to their coalition, sharing content they’d produce or news they uncovered, and most importantly, by praying for them and the work they were so willingly and fearlessly dedicated to. These people were incredible in their compassion and empathy which gave me the peace I needed to redirect my path and fight from a different angle.

What I learned…

I don’t know your experience or your role when it comes to education. You could be a parent, grandparent, caregiver, pastor, teacher, administrator or simply someone who cares about the next generation of image bearers. You may have attended public school K-12 and believe you “turned out” fine so public-school kids today will, too. Maybe you dropped out of school or bounced around different schools. Or you attended a prestigious private school, boarding school, faith-based school, or charter school. Or perhaps you were part of the “rare breed” of homeschooling families.

We all come from different academic backgrounds, socioeconomic environments, learning abilities, and experiences. Likewise, we all have different reasons for taking the time to read this article.

But I think there is one thing we can all agree on – we all want what’s best for the child (or children) we love.

The unfortunate truth, though, is we cannot agree on what is best for the general student population. Is this bad? It can be, especially when we recognize the beautiful diversity and uniqueness of every human being ever created and understand that what works best for one person may not work best for another. Incorporating one type of learning method or environment (i.e. 6+ hours of classroom instruction as contrasted to outdoor learning, work-study, or other hybrid forms of learning) in an attempt to serve the majority can restrict a student’s ability to learn, grow, and succeed.

I believe diversity and inclusion are important when considered in their original meaning and design, however, this is not how diversity and inclusion are measured or applied today. Just as “stuffing students into a box” is not the answer to accommodate the masses, we need to also understand the consequences that arise when we exclude certain worldviews or people groups from the public domain; the division and destruction that occurs when conformity, uniformity, and singular ideology are pursued and prioritized over embracing a truly diverse and inclusive population.

Whether we like it or not, the public school system in the United States of America (over the last several decades) has become more of an indoctrination camp focused on creating and equipping social justice activists rather than cultivating globally competitive academic achievers. This is a problem, and it needs to be solved. I believe we need school choice and a return to a classical, liberal education that focuses solely on the fundamentals of math, science, language arts, and history rather than using critical theory to restructure how these subjects are taught, learned, and graded (click here for one example of an equitable math program funded by Bill and Melinda Gates).

America’s road to educational reform is long and rocky. Those of us who are parents of school-aged children can’t wait for the public school system to change because our children need educating now.
What do we do? What are the options? How can we support one another, become an advocate for the students we love, and get involved locally?

There are good people who, for a multitude of reasons, cannot leave the public school system. Many of these people are my friends and thinking of them throughout my journey was my motivation to get involved.

There are also good teachers within the public school system who need our support, assistance, and prayers so they can focus on being a teacher and teaching rather than the pressure to serve as an activist promoting social justice or other left-wing causes.

There are also families who are unaware of or are ignorant to the system’s underlying agenda. There are families who are on the fence about leaving the system or who have had wonderful public-school experiences and think my perspective is crazy, anecdotal, or conspiratorial. And there are families who have left the system or who never entered into it in the first place because they don’t want to be bothered by its drama or don’t believe the system affects them (which it totally does, from funding the schools through tax dollars to shaping the future leaders of our country and more).

Regardless of your vantage point or situation, I want to offer you hope and encouragement to feel confident in your decision to pursue the best educational options for your individual student’s needs.

Things to Know:

YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Find your people, they exist!
Public school is government-run school. I’m not saying this is good or bad, but more of a reminder that the public schools today are not the public schools of the past (for example, no more organized prayer time or mention of God, removal of American flags in the classroom for daily reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, etc.). It is possible to have a positive public school experience or to believe the best about your school, but I encourage you to do your homework, learn about the programs being offered, and research the curriculum being taught to your children (some questions to ponder include, who developed the curriculum? Is there an underlying agenda being taught? Is my school’s science program rooted in objective science or subjective opinion?) As Dennis Prager often warns parents, if you send your kid to Ceasar, don’t be surprised if he or she comes back a Roman.

There is no neutral worldview in the public school system. Even if the curriculum is standard, how a teacher teaches, interacts, or communicate with students is from their worldview. The best way to ensure your child will share your worldview is to homeschool your children.
There are no perfect people, therefore, there are no perfect schools. “Good” people are everywhere just like “bad” people are everywhere. We need Jesus followers within the public school system but must also discern when teachers are wolves in sheep’s clothing (see @libsoftiktok for examples of America’s teachers but also acknowledge there are “wolves” who linger within private or faith-based schools, too). NOTE: Christian and Catholic schools are not exempt! Many Christian and Catholic schools across the country are forgoing biblical truth for secular ideology (this includes gender-affirmation and implementation of CRT, amongst other things). The FOIA I referred to earlier in this article revealed a handful of faith-based schools within my city that have fallen to worldly influences.
Because every human is unique, every human has unique ways of learning. Some may thrive in a traditional classroom setting while others may prefer virtual learning, outdoor or untraditional settings (like farm school, environmental school, or aviation school) or hands-on learning environments (such as the flexibility that comes with homeschooling and taking regular “field trips” to local museums, national parks, historic landmarks, etc.).
Parents and guardians possess the sole rights and responsibility of caring for the well-being of their minor. You know what is best for your child, not a teacher and certainly not the government. Some kids are built to strongly stick to their convictions while others are more vulnerable to worldly influences. Use wisdom as you guide and direct your child down the path that is best for them.
It is possible to raise godly children within the public school system but it will take work from the parent or caregiver. You cannot let your guard down and you must be actively involved or in tune to the happening’s at your school (i.e. know your teachers and administrators and develop relationships with them, attend PTO meetings, volunteer in the classroom, etc.) Just as important, you must be intentional in your parenting. While my kids were still enrolled at the public school, we discussed their school day every single night at dinner (what they learned, did, saw and heard; who they interacted with). There was always some type of occurrence that pertained to a secular ideology or cultural influence that we used as a teaching moment to refine the lens of our family’s worldview. Attending the public school can be an excellent way for children to apply what they learn at church and at home while exercising what it means to live in the world but not of the world. At the same time, your child (children) may not be ready to be on the battlefield. This was ultimately the conclusion I came to with my kids – my oldest spent 1^st-5^th grade boldly and bravely fighting and while I know she is strong enough to stand her ground, I knew it was better for her to “recharge” for the long fight ahead.

Things to Consider:

Trust your intuition (or what I refer to as spiritual discernment). If something doesn’t “smell” right, follow the stench. It could lead you to a pile of garbage, a moldy “sandwich,” or a toxic landfill. Or, maybe it was just a fart…a temporary vapor that disappears as quickly as it came.
Homeschool isn’t as “weird” as it was once considered. There are so many resources available along with co-ops you can join within your community. I learned a lot about the homeschool community when my family was transitioning out of the public school and I will say, I believe it is the best educational option. While my family is fortunate to belong to a fantastic, Christ-centered school, if things took a drastic turn I would gladly choose homeschooling my children over returning to the public school. BONUS encouragement: The homeschooling population has grown since the pandemic!

Things to Do:

GET INVOLVED!!! Wherever you are, whatever you are able to do, and however you are able to serve, do it! If you are a former teacher, provide assistance to homeschooling parents or offer tutoring. Attend PTO and school board meetings or better yet, run for local office or commit to a leadership position available at your school or district. The options are endless [regardless of your schooling situation] and the potential to positively impact your community is limitless! (And if you’re a homeowner, don’t forget that your tax dollars are funding your local public school!)
Hold your leaders accountable. Whether it’s your teacher, principal, school board, or other, hold these leaders accountable in the positions they are in and the responsibilities they have.
Pray, pray, pray! This should go without saying, but keep our country, our leaders, and the next generation in your prayers. Today, tomorrow, and always.

Resources I Recommend & Have Benefited From:

Standing Up to Goliath: Battling State and National Teachers’ Unions for the Heart and Soul of Our Kids and Country by Rebecca Friedrichs
Frontlines: Finding My Voice on an American College Campus by Isabel Brown
For Kids & Country: A movement seeking to restore America’s educational system to the excellence, morality and patriotism envisioned by our nation’s founders.
Classical Conversations: A Christian homeschool program and community created by parents for parents.
Turning Point USA: The largest and fastest-growing youth organization across America.
Family Policy Alliance: A public policy partner of Focus on the Family that offers numerous resources that equip parents to exercise their parental rights.
Moms for America: A national movement of moms that empowers moms to raise patriots and promote liberty for the healing of America. (Also listen to their podcast!)
Moms for Liberty: A national movement dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.
The Homeschool Awakening movie: Showing exclusively in select theatres on June 13^th & 14^th!
Mama Bear Apologetics: A fantastic organization dedicated to strengthening a mother’s “mama bear” instincts (nurturing and protecting their young). See the Mama Bear Apologetics website for a library of resources. Also listen to their podcast and check out my reviews of both Mama Bear Apologetics books! Their guide to sexuality exposes America’s explicit sex-ed curriculum used throughout hundreds of public schools across our country.
To learn more about America’s comprehensive sex-ed curriculum, listen to podcast episode 10 of The Spillover with Alex Clark – “Warning: Sex Education in Public Schools is More Disturbing Than You Thought.”

*I owe all my “local district knowledge” to one individual in particular (you know who you are) and the team of people this person has entrusted the decade+ of “findings” to. I have so much gratitude, respect, and appreciation for this individual who spent over a decade “digging through the muck” of my district, asking many questions, voicing concerns, capturing screenshots of explicit school library book content, exposing the agenda behind Lucy Calkins, and so much more. If you’re reading this, you are a parent warrior and a bold witness. I am thankful to have met you and to have linked arms with you in this cultural battle and spiritual war. I pray for you and the team of parents who are persistently holding their ground on the battlefield. Keep fighting the fight!

**This article, like every Culture Matters article, is written from personal opinion, experience and perspective. Any thought or idea expressed is my very own.