President Joe Biden and his merry band of Democrats are having a hard time avoiding the ire of parents and others concerned about what is being taught in public K-12 schools. After it was revealed that school districts are infusing far-leftist progressive ideology into the classroom, progressives have been forced to do damage control. The White House recently announced the formation of the National Parents and Families Engagement Council ostensibly to mollify the concerns expressed by parents. Unfortunately for the Biden administration, it does not appear this will be a viable strategy.
An alliance of parental rights advocacy organizations has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education (DOE) over the council, accusing it of violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The suit alleges that the council is a partisan endeavor designed to avoid scrutiny over the material the administration is pushing in K-12 classrooms.
The complaint, which was brought by Parents Defending Education (PDE), America First Legal, and Fight for Schools and Families is intended to dissolve the council, which the Biden administration is selling as a way to bridge the gap between parents and teachers. It appears the White House believes this council will help to mend the gap that formed between educators and adults when the controversy over education erupted last year.
After Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced the creation of the council, it quickly came under fire from conservatives, who pointed out that the group was made up of far-leftist progressive groups that would be friendly to Democrats’ efforts to inculcate children with leftist ideology.
Nicole Neily, president of PDE, released a statement excoriating the White House for trying to “whitewash” its efforts to brush off the concerns of parents. She said:
“The creation of this rubber-stamp council shows that the Biden Administration is desperately trying to whitewash its flagrant disregard for American parents by pretending to finally listen to families’ concerns. Sadly, they’ve merely shown that they really only want to listen to the views of their political allies and not the vast majority of average parents – which has become a pattern and practice for this group of ideologically-motivated activists.”
America First Legal said on Thursday that it launched an investigation and would be seeking information through public-records requests for “all records related to the creation of the Council and its activities.”
The coalition alleges in its lawsuit that the Education Department is also violating the part of FACA which mandates that panels such as this be “fairly balanced” when it comes to the makeup of the group. The plaintiffs observed that each organization listed on the council was left-leaning. Many of the leaders of these groups donated to Democratic candidates.
“Most of the organizations have applauded the Administration’s previous decisions, and nearly 80% of their leaders have donated to President Biden or other Democrats. Defendant Cardona selected members that are agreeable, not balanced,” according to the lawsuit. The plaintiffs stated that at least seven of the 14 groups on the council had expressed support for Biden.
The Washington Times noted:
Other alleged FACA violations include holding meetings without public notice; failing to produce transcripts, minutes and other documents; being created without statutory or presidential authority and neglecting to file a charter that would subject it to congressional oversight.
To those paying attention, it was no surprise that this council was nothing more than an attempt to make it appear as if the Biden administration was taking parents’ concerns seriously while still pushing for indoctrination in schools. When the announcement was first made, I looked up some of the groups featured on the council and came to the same conclusion: This is not an advisory council, it is a cheerleading team designed to help the White House achieve its objectives in the classroom.
What is amazing about this situation is that the Biden administration either did not believe the formation of the council would be challenged in court, or they did not even realize they were violating legislation dictating how these groups are supposed to be formed. It reveals either arrogance, incompetence, or both on the part of the White House. Hopefully, this lawsuit will stop them in their Marxist tracks.
