Texas parents have decided they are fed up with the public school system and are pulling their kids in droves. It’s a pattern reflected all across the country. But being that the Lone Star State is the second-highest in population in the country, this is a significant development.
In a recent Fox News report, Texan parents explained why, after the COVID lockdowns, they have chosen not to bring their kids back to public schools. Prepare not to be shocked.
Parents told Fox News one of the primary reasons why they are pulling their children out of public schools is the over-the-top politicization and bias taking place in the classroom.
“I definitely chose home-schooling for my children because I feel like I’m able to control what they learn, control the speed of which they learn so they learn at a much faster rate, and control outside influences as far as peer pressure, bullying, political agendas,” Tara Carter told the news outlet. “I think that’s a lot of people’s reasons for home-schooling.”
From the report:
The number of Lone Star State students pulled from public schools in favor of home education increased by 40% in spring 2021 compared to the previous year, according to recently released Texas Education Agency data. Many families shifted to home-schooling as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, but Carter believes many parents continued teaching their kids themselves because of disagreements with the curricula.
Parents want control over “who they learn from, and the content of what they are learning,” she told Fox News.
The mother also indicated she had concerns with the push for progressive gender ideology in public schools.
“I don’t want them to grow up and worry about gender and things like that. They’re still babies to me and I want them to stay, you know, my baby kids as long as they can,” she elaborated. “They grow up much faster when they’re learning things from their peers that are not appropriate for little kids.”
Carter’s sentiments are in line with most Americans. A New York Times/Siena poll found that 70 percent do not support the teaching of gender identity to elementary school students.
NEW POLL: "Do you support or oppose allowing public school teachers to provide classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity to children in elementary school?"
Support: 27%
Oppose: 70%New York Times / Siena Poll, September 2022.
— Corey A. DeAngelis (@DeAngelisCorey) September 18, 2022
But indoctrination is not the only issue – the quality of education is also motivating parents to seek other options for their kids. “While the closing of schools during the pandemic was a major factor in this growth of homeschooling, more families now cite concern over the public school environment and the quality of academics as a reason they chose to homeschool,” according to the Texas Homeschool Coalition.
But it’s not just homeschooling rates that are climbing in the Lone Star State. Private institutions are also seeing an uptick in enrollment. In fact, 53 percent of independent schools reported that they have seen an increase since the pandemic began.
This trend is only going to continue. As long as school districts insist on pushing problematic teachings and keeping parents in the dark about what is going on with their children, people are going to continue doing what is necessary to protect their young ones.
It is also important to note that school choice is set to be a major issue in Texas’ upcoming legislative session. The Lone Star State has struggled to pass meaningful laws that would allow parents to have more of a say regarding where and how their kids are educated. But now, with the progressive agenda in schools being exposed, there is a high likelihood that Texas will finally enact school choice measures. If and when this happens, it will likely result in even more of an exodus from public schools in Texas.
