Who serves on our school boards makes a difference

It’s supposed to be an in-between year for elections, but with all the discussion about the governor’s election next week in Virginia, it doesn’t seem that way. However, we’d be wise to pay attention to what happens in that Democrat-leaning state where the outcome of the governor’s race may send ripples across the country if the Republican takes away the seat.
    What’s happening there has made education one of the top issues in the campaign. Comments from people like former President Barack Obama this week which called the Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin’s concerns about critical race theory being pushed there as “phony trumped-up culture wars” and “fake outrage” are waking up Virginia voters to what some on the left really think.
    Meanwhile, the Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe said, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach,” at a debate with Youngkin last month.
    The response to those statements has been swift—kind of like here in Nebraska the past year when the State Board of Education and NE Department of Education came out with its proposed health standards for schools. As they say, their actions have awakened a sleeping giant.
    Schools that kept students home from in-person classes far longer than need be in some cases allowed parents to see and hear what’s being taught. The seemingly obsession at some schools with pushing CRT and family issues that conflict with what parents are teaching at home have brought parents to school board meetings, many of them angry. That was seen this summer at state school board meetings in Nebraska.
    Despite the outcry, the state board here forged ahead, but then decided to pause any further development of the health standards—for now anyway.
    I suspect the issue of education and what’s being prioritized in our classrooms is going to carry over as a major issue in Nebraska’s 2022 elections when a new governor, state senators and local school board members will be on the ballot.
    If what has been happening is important to you, get involved. There will be four seats up for election on the Chase County Schools board of education, and three on the W-P board. We have good school boards here now, but they can be stronger as more parents and patrons get involved.