As the pandemic peters out, progressive politicians only seem more determined than ever to exert as much control over the population as possible. The problem is that fewer and fewer people trust the government, particularly when it comes to schools. As the FBI teams with the National School Board Association and the Department of Justice to demonize angry parents, more and more Americans are taking a closer look at school choice. Legislatures across the country are beginning to take up the issue. In Nebraska, the issue has been in contention since the start of the pandemic, with opinions pretty much split down the typical party lines…except for one man.

Sen.Justin Wayne (D) has been a voice for school choice in the Nebraska legislature over the pandemic and has passionately challenged his own party members to look past their hypocrisy and put students ahead of the status quo. Wayne has a personal stake in education. He fights for the children of his district and for minority students across the state. Like many school choice advocates, Wayne recognizes that poor, minority children are being trapped in failing public schools while being sold the never-ending lie that just a little more money and a little more time will solve all of their problems.

Last year, Wayne threw down the gauntlet at the feet of his fellow party members, challenging anyone opposing school choice legislation to enroll their children in the public schools in his own district.

*Clips provided with many thanks to Corey DeAngelis, school choice warrior and National Director of Research for School Choice Now. 

I said this earlier, and I want to repeat it cuz it’s just, it’s just a profound thing. That the only people who are opposing school choice today, are the same people who have choice. And many of them exercise that choice. This has been a…growing pain for me, as I was against this bill my freshman year and the last three or four years struggled where I was going to be on it. But my community can’t wait anymore. So here’s my offer to all of those people here who have kids. Here’s my offer. I will vote to kill this bill. If you send your kids to one of the kids schools in my district that we’re waiting to turn around… Let’s make that promise, transfer the kids. So as we spend six, seven years at an Elementary School, changing the school, your kid can be part of that change, and when they fall behind, when they don’t have the resources, [when they face] suspensions and things like that, then we can all go through it together. That’s what I mean by, let’s have a real honest conversation. Don’t make a choice that you won’t allow anybody else to make just based off of income. That’s what we’re talking about.

Nebraska Senator Justin Wayne (D) tells his colleagues he'll vote against the school choice bill if they agree to send their own kids to public schools. pic.twitter.com/JzvS7iW6FE

— Corey A. DeAngelis (@DeAngelisCorey) April 28, 2021

In a Tuesday legislative session, nearly a year after that novel challenge, Senator Wayne revisited the challenge, probing his colleagues as to whether or not they too, his advice. Should I spoil it for you or have you already guessed?

I’m going to start off with this. A simple thing that we’ve talked about… a year ago. I challenged everybody in here that if you would send one of your family members to a school or neighborhood school district district, I’d change how I feel about this bill. We can go to the struggle together. Just curious, if anybody did that. Anybody anybody move their kid to Senator McCain’s neighborhood schools or my neighborhood schools? So we can go through the transformational that you keep telling my community to wait for…. Okay, so nobody did that. But your kids to go to private school.

BREAKING: Nebraska Senator Justin Wayne (D) again calls out his colleagues for sending their kids to private school while opposing school choice for others. pic.twitter.com/WiXAmcBRN8

— Corey A. DeAngelis (@DeAngelisCorey) January 11, 2022

Wayne wasn’t finished making his colleagues look like idiots. In an exchange with an anti-choice colleague, the District 15 representatives challenged his colleague to explain just what he would say to parents who are demanding choice, but being forced to wait for 50 years instead, to turn around public schools.

His answer was tragically telling.

Sen. Justin Wayne (D): "Did you say it would take about 50 years to fix Omaha [schools]?"

Sen. Hansen (D): "Yes"

Wayne: "So what are we going to tell parents in the meantime when they are looking for choice?"

Hansen: "I mean, honestly, I don't know." pic.twitter.com/YWzRXYc41U

— Corey A. DeAngelis (@DeAngelisCorey) January 12, 2022

School choice is a non-partisan issue, and now, more than ever, parents are desperate for it in the face of evil teachers unions and public uncertainty. Good for Senator Wayne for standing up for his constituents. We need a million more of him.