A Nashville charter school threatened a first-grade teacher with termination after he refused to read an LGBTQ book about same-sex marriage to his class, according to a legal advocacy group.
KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary issued a “Final Warning” to Eric Rivera, a Christian first-grade teacher, after he declined to read a book featuring a same-sex married couple and child in the language arts curriculum, despite having no previous disciplinary history, according to First Liberty Institute.
Rivera requested a religious accommodation after discovering the LGBTQ book in the curriculum, according to a demand <a href="https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Eric-Rivera-FINAL-Demand-Letter62_Redacted.pdf">letter</a> First Liberty sent to KIPP Nashville on behalf of Rivera.
&#8220;Mr. Rivera asked a colleague to read the book to his class of first-graders, while he remained in the classroom to observe — a substitution that Mr. Rivera believed would be workable and accepted,” the demand letter said.
School officials denied his request, summoned him to the principal’s office, and threatened his job, the demand letter claims.
The “Final Warning” letter accused Rivera of failing to meet the “expectation” of teaching the curriculum “with fidelity” and said that as a result of his conduct, students would “miss content aligned with the scope of the unit” — even though a substitute teacher was still teaching the curriculum to students.
“[T]he principal indicated that the belief in same-sex marriage is so fundamental to the language arts unit that Mr. Rivera could not possibly be permitted to teach any portion of the unit, and therefore had to be removed from the first grade classroom,&#8221; according to First Liberty&#8217;s letter.
The school’s letter concluded with a further threat of disciplinary action, including termination, and stated, “A copy of this unsatisfactory notice is being placed in your personnel file.”
“Requiring a teacher violate their religious beliefs in order to keep their job is blatant discrimination that violates the Civil Rights Act,” <a href="https://firstliberty.org/media/nashville-first-grade-teacher-banished-from-classroom-after-asking-accommodation-from-pro-same-sex-marriage-book/">said</a> Cliff Martin, Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute. “Our client cares deeply about his students and simply has a religious objection to teaching certain lessons and asked for a simple religious accommodation. The school has sent the message that anyone who has a traditional view of marriage is unfit to teach first grade.”
First Liberty accused the school of potentially violating Tennessee law by failing to disclose two books listed in the &#8220;LGBTQ+ Books&#8221; category on Amazon to parents.
&#8220;Both of the books to which Mr. Rivera objected require parental notification under Tennessee law, and to our knowledge, none was given. Accordingly, based on our understanding of KIPP’s practices, KIPP should review whether it is in compliance with its obligations to parents under Tennessee and federal law,&#8221; the letter said.
First Liberty’s letter to the school on behalf of Rivera demands that KIPP remove the &#8220;Final Warning&#8221; from Rivera&#8217;s personnel file, cease religious discrimination, and commit to accommodating religious employees who object to reading materials that conflict with their faith.

image

Nashville Charter School Threatened To Fire First-Grade Teacher For Refusing To Read LGBTQ Book

LGBT

Public Schools

Religious Freedom

High school student filling out test answers with pen

San Francisco Banned ‘Racist’ Algebra A Decade Ago. The Results Are Now In.

San Francisco Banned 'Racist' Algebra A Decade Ago. The Results Are Now In.

Blacks

College

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Education

High School

Mathematics

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Teenagers

Violence

Whites

As tensions in Minnesota continue to flare up over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions and allegations of rampant fraud, far-Left actors and activists have decided that it would be expedient to inflame the issues further. So, it shouldn&#8217;t come as a shock that the teachers unions and their activist allies have chosen to join in and provoke further unrest and strife.
In fact, a recent <a href="https://x.com/BGOnTheScene/status/2011524444905435353">video</a> posted on X claims to show K-12 students and teachers in Saint Paul, Minnesota walking out of school in protest over ICE. Days later the Saint Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE) put out a <a href="https://x.com/JennaReports/status/2011493535812338109?s=20">statement</a> calling for its members to engage in a “Day of Action” and stating that there would be “no work, no school, and no shopping.” Unsurprisingly, the communiqué comes with a list of demands such as the removal of ICE from the state and the defunding of the federal agency.
The organization of “educators” then publicly proclaimed that it was “on the side” of the students, while simultaneously shutting down schools in a district where roughly 70% of all elementary students are not <a href="https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/minnesota/districts/saint-paul-public-schools-104201">proficient</a> in math and reading. However, SPFE and its members are sending a clear message that their top priority is not the education of the children and families they serve, but far-Left social justice activism.
Unfortunately, this is a feature, not a bug, of the dominant ideology permeating the Gopher State’s education system writ large. Social justice activism is now the primary ethos of a system corrupted by Left-wing political actors who have been turning classrooms into street activist training programs in service to a Revolutionary Industrial Complex.
In the Colleges of Education, for instance, teacher candidates are conditioned into far-Left political ideas that are often sold to budding educators as “best practices.” Future K-12 instructors are then expected to incorporate these ideas into their own methodologies.
For example, Minnesota State University Mankato’s College of Education <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/minnesota-state-university-mankato-corrupted/">states</a> in its “Conceptual Framework” that the teacher training program’s vision is to “inspire lifelong learning and professional engagement through racial consciousness, social justice, and inclusion.” The program aims to prepare “anti-racist practitioners” by using Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a foundational framework focusing on privilege, oppression, systemic racism, and social justice activism. In fact, future elementary school teachers are required to take a course titled “ED 101 – Introduction to Critical Race Theory in Education.”
But it is not just the training of teachers that is problematic. Some university programs are offering free lesson plans and resources to K-12 teachers that promote Left-wing biases and agendas.
Such is the case with the University of Minnesota Twin Cities’ Race, Indigeneity, Disability, Gender &amp; Sexuality Studies (RIDGS) program, which has <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/liberated-university-of-minnesota-twin-cities/">created</a> and made publicly available ethnic studies lesson plans for K-12 schools that are riddled with far-Left ideologies promoting youth activism. For instance, a sixth-grade lesson titled “Protest Art &amp; the Movement for Black Life” focuses on the Black Lives Matter movement and how to “create their own protest art for a cause of their choice.” The multi-day plan reads like a revolutionary training program meant to prepare eleven-year-olds for some yet to be determined protest.
However, if there is any doubt about these ideologies trickling out of the universities and into K-12, look no further than Saint Paul Public Schools’ (SPPS) <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/liberated-saint-paul-public-schools/">critical ethnic studies</a> curriculum. A 2023 RIDGS report on the deeply divisive course highlights the “seven principles” students are taught throughout the year, including “critical consciousness” and “resistance.” According to statements included in the document, students learned about “protests” and “civil disobedience” and were inspired by the Third World Liberation Front.
Like SPPS, Minneapolis Public Schools’ (MPS) <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/minneapolis-public-schools-ethnic-studies-course-teaches-students-that-capitalism-and-western-culture-is-exploitative-and-leads-to-slavery-colonialism-genocide-and-white-supremacy/">ethnic studies</a> courses are also saturated with revolutionary dogmas. In one of the classes, students learn to “challenge the ‘white savior’ narrative” and that slavery, genocide, and white supremacy all stem from capitalism and Western culture. Naturally, the course in question also includes student activism.
So, it should come as little surprise that K-12 students from both SPPS and MPS appear to be <a href="https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2026_Twin-Cities-Student-ICE-protest-chat.pdf">planning</a> their own mass &#8220;strike” and “walkout” over ICE. Of course, it is highly probable that they are getting “guidance” from parents, teachers, and local activists.
While Minnesota’s streets heat up during the dead of winter, parents and the public need to be aware that far-Left actors inside and outside the education system have been preparing teachers and students for years to be street activists and protestors.
Local and national leaders, first and foremost, need to ensure that the youth and their teachers can peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights safely. But there also needs to be investigations into the Revolutionary Industrial Complex that has taken over Minnesota’s entire education system. Families, students, and communities deserve better from their education system.
 * * * 
Rhyen Staley is a researcher for Defending Education. He holds a master&#8217;s degree in elementary education and has over a decade of classroom experience in both public and private schools. He has over 25 years of volleyball coaching experience from Women’s Division I down to junior high.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

St. Paul, Minnesota student anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) demonstrations, January 2026

Teachers Unions Shut Down Minnesota Schools For Activism

Children

Critical Race Theory

Ethnic Studies

K-12

Leftists

Liberals

Minneapolis

Minnesota

Progressivism

Teachers Unions

Woke Culture

Last week, the White House convened an education roundtable with U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon titled, “Biased Professors, Woke Administrators, and the End of Free Inquiry on U.S. Campuses.”
Secretary McMahon opened the event by <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-secretary-of-education-linda-mcmahon-participates-white-house-roundtable-left-wing-ideological-capture-of-universities">stating</a>, “It was an honor to be at the White House today with this dedicated coalition of students, faculty, institutional leaders, and policy advocates to highlight the issue of woke ideology and the capture of our institutions of higher education. DEI policies have turned universities from free marketplaces of ideas to purveyors of manufactured ideological conformity, chilling free speech and undermining academic rigor.”
She <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-secretary-of-education-linda-mcmahon-participates-white-house-roundtable-left-wing-ideological-capture-of-universities">explained</a>, “We are committed to working with higher education leaders to reverse course from these decades of decline.”
The Secretary highlighted actions taken by the Trump Administration, including dissolving DEI programs, enforcing merit-based practices, and guiding universities to comply with federal law, noting that over 400 institutions have made substantive changes. The U.S. Department of Education is working to incentivize universities to operate with fairness, academic rigor, and civil discourse.
Providing strong, positive leadership, Secretary McMahon <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/secretary-mcmahon-white-house-remarks-12325-112619.pdf">shared</a>, “We want to provide every opportunity for colleges to recommit themselves to principles like non-discrimination, open discourse and neutrality, financial responsibility, resisting foreign influence, and putting students first.” She called for a recommitment to principles of reason, individual excellence, and non-discrimination to create a “golden age” of higher education.
This was the second in a series of higher education roundtables. The first roundtable was held at the White House on November 19, titled “Administrative Bloat and Low-Value Programs: How U.S. Universities are Failing American Families and How They Can Reform.” It addressed higher-education affordability and key components of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including new caps on graduate loan borrowing aimed at reducing costs and boosting accountability.
Undeniably, the Trump Administration is providing pivotal leadership to reform public higher education. As Eric Bledsoe, Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy with a focus on education, explained at last week’s roundtable, “universities serve a public interest and must be held accountable by the public.” Bledsoe also noted that higher education should be about “cultivating mature citizens who are prepared for the workforce.”
It’s common sense 101, and thankfully for the American people, this administration is working overtime to change the status quo and cultivate a return to normalcy in public higher education, which has been overtaken by wokeness.
In October, the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” was released by the Trump Administration and sent initially to nine institutions. It outlined eight “priorities of the U.S. government in its engagement with universities that benefit from the relationship.” It clearly <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Compact-for-Academic-Excellence-in-Higher-Education-10.1.pdf">notes</a> that “Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values” other than those outlined “if the institution elects to forego federal benefits.”
The priorities are as follows: equality in admission, marketplace of ideas and civil discourse, non-discrimination in faculty and administrative hiring, institutional neutrality, student learning, student equality, financial responsibility, and foreign entanglements.
The Compact <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Compact-for-Academic-Excellence-in-Higher-Education-10.1.pdf">reads</a>: “The leadership of an academic institute is directly responsible for its strategy, success, and adherence to legal and governmental requirements.” More specifically, each year, the institute’s President, Provost, and Head of Admissions will be required to certify that the university abides by the principles outlined in the Compact.
Violators — whether willfully or negligently — will lose benefits for at least one year. Repeat offenders will lose benefits for at least two years. Additionally, funds advanced to the university by the federal government during the year of violation must be returned. Most <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Compact-for-Academic-Excellence-in-Higher-Education-10.1.pdf">notably</a>, “any private contributions to the university during the year(s) in which such violation occurred shall be returned to the grantor upon the request of the grantor.”
Universities collectively receive hundreds of billions of dollars each year, yet do not deliver soundly on their mission. This much-needed accountability is a major step in the right direction.
As Secretary McMahon <a href="https://www.ed.gov/media/document/secretary-mcmahon-white-house-remarks-12325-112619.pdf">communicated</a> at the most recent White House education roundtable, she is inviting those leading higher education institutions to join her in “creating a golden age of academe — committed to reason, not racial preferences. Merit, not marginalizing the so-called ‘oppressor.’ Individual excellence, not ideological indoctrination.”
University leaders would be wise to get out of the business of indoctrination and discrimination and instead focus on fulfilling their institution’s mission of open inquiry and excellence in academics. Even if they do not align with the Trump Administration, agree with the Compact, or value meritocracy, their institution’s bottom line will be better for it. And most importantly, so will their students and our nation.
* * *
Dr. Keri D. Ingraham is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute, Director of the American Center for Transforming Education, and a Senior Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Universities II. Google Gemini design.

Ending The Woke Monopoly: White House Takes Aim At Higher Ed’s Ideological Capture

American Universities

Ivy League

Linda McMahon

Trump Administration

White House

Authorities arrested a high school assistant principal in Virginia on Wednesday after he and his brother allegedly made detailed plans to attack <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-sets-sights-on-next-city-for-immigration-raids?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Sets+Sights+On+Next+City+For+Immigration+Raids">federal immigration agents</a> and other law enforcement officers, according to local reports.
Kempsville High School assistant principal John W. Bennett, 54, is accused of plotting the violence alongside his brother Mark B. Bennett, 59. An off-duty Norfolk police officer overheard the pair discussing their plans as they dined at a local pho restaurant on November 15, <a href="https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/mycity/virginia-beach/virginia-beach-men-arrested-threats-police-officers-ice/291-47d9b0c4-d0eb-472f-b030-1cff19f043ec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to ABC13, citing court documents.
The brothers were allegedly heard saying Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were “kidnapping individuals,” while Mark Bennett mentioned plans to fly to Las Vegas to meet with “like-minded individuals” and return with “enforcement ideas and plans.”
Mark had purchased a flight for November 19, authorities later confirmed. He also mentioned recently purchasing an assault rifle because it could fire rounds that could cut through body armor, saying he yearned to “go hunting,” according to the outlet.
John seemingly endorsed the plan and expressed interest in joining his brother on the trip to Vegas, according to the report.
Authorities captured the pair at the Norfolk International Airport.
Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at <a href="http://dailywire.com/blackfriday">dailywire.com/blackfriday</a>.
The brothers were each charged with one conspiracy to commit malicious wounding and were granted $25,000 bond on Thursday, <a href="https://www.wavy.com/news/crime/kempsville-high-school-assistant-principal-brother-arrested-for-threat-against-ice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to WAVY. While out of custody, the two must cut contact with each other and wear a GPS tracker.
The assistant principal has worked at the school district since 2009, according to ABC13. He is now on leave, school officials said.
“These allegations of violence against law enforcement, the very ones who protect and serve our communities, are incredibly alarming,” Virginia Beach Police Department Chief Paul W. Neudigate said in a statement.
ICE has faced a 1,000% surge in assaults since President Donald Trump returned to office and commenced a historic deportation operation across the country.
An anti-ICE shooter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/second-illegal-immigrant-detainee-dies-after-dallas-ice-shooting">opened fire</a> on an agency facility in Dallas in September, killing two detainees and himself.
At another North Texas ICE facility, a group of alleged <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-hits-antifa-with-very-first-terrorism-charges-in-anti-ice-attack">Antifa militants</a> lured agents outside by setting off fireworks on July 4 before spraying bullets in their direction. One of the alleged attackers shot a local police officer in the neck while hiding in the woods.

John Bennett

High School Principal Arrested For Allegedly Plotting To Attack ICE Agents

Crime

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

U.S.

Virginia

California officials misled a federal judge about policies that hide students&#8217; &#8220;gender transitions&#8221; from parents at schools, bombshell documents uncovered by a legal firm appear to show.
On Monday, California officials will appear before U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez for a <a href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46/690e752307c0ae224314bd61_Dkt.%20294_ORDER%20-%20Show%20Cause%20RE%20Sanctions.pdf">show cause hearing</a> to provide evidence on why they shouldn’t be sanctioned for attempting to mislead the court about state policies that would prohibit parents from being informed about their children’s supposed &#8220;gender identity.&#8221; The hearing is the latest saga in a multi-year challenge to school policies adopted in California that teachers say would force them to lie to parents about students suffering from gender dysphoria. 
“We now have irrefutable evidence that the [California Department of Education] covertly moved these unconstitutional gender secrecy directives inside a password-protected training hidden away from public view, and distributed them to school districts statewide,” said Paul Jonna, a lawyer with the Thomas More Society. Jonna is representing two teachers, Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori West, who sued the Escondido Union School District in 2023 over a policy that kept parents in the dark about their children&#8217;s so-called gender identity. 
The California Department of Education has argued that it should not be a party to the case because it claims not to have mandated parental exclusion. They claim that a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240113000622/https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/eo/faqs.asp">frequently-asked-questions</a> page posted by the department has been edited to show that they do not mandate parental exclusion, and so there is no more cause for complaint. The FAQ page included a line that said &#8220;with rare exceptions, schools are required to respect the limitations that a student places on the disclosure of their transgender status, including not sharing that information with the student’s parents.&#8221;
While that guidance was deleted, policies that kept parents in the dark about their children were still promoted in statewide teacher trainings.
Lawyers for the Thomas More Society obtained training materials developed by the state that appear to prove just that. The materials were found in California’s PRISM <a href="https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/pl/prism.asp">framework</a>, which describes itself as “a six-course online training for certificated educators that provides resources to support LGBTQ+ youth.”
Currently, the materials are unavailable on the state’s <a href="https://prismcalifornia.org/home">website</a>, but the Thomas More Society included them in a court <a href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63d954d4e4ad424df7819d46/6913872618ec89d3116895a5_Supplemental_Briefs_Mirabelli_Sanctions.pdf">filing</a>. They can be viewed on a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5k2FLutwlQ">video</a> uploaded to YouTube. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1000987" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.01.46-PM-scaled.png" alt="" width="2560" height="1065" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.01.46-PM-scaled.png 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.01.46-PM-300x125.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.01.46-PM-1024x426.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.01.46-PM-768x319.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.01.46-PM-1536x639.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.01.46-PM-2048x852.png 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />
Inside those materials is a section on “School Legal Responsibilities,&#8221; which it says includes mandates for “inclusive policies, respect for gender identity, anti-discrimination protections, and privacy rights.” It recommends and links to guidelines from the Our Family Coalition that say parents should be kept in the dark if they are not supportive.
“School staff must respect students’ right to privacy and may not affirmatively disclose a student’s LGBTQ status to others without the student’s permission,” the guidance from the San Francisco-based LGBT organization says. “Students have a right to privacy in personal information about their sexual orientation and gender identity, and outing students both at school or at home violates this right and also risks exposing students to harassment. If a student is not out at home, schools should offer them support for working towards family acceptance.”
<div id="attachment_1001005" style="width: 1652px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1001005" class="size-full wp-image-1001005" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.53.52-PM.png" alt="" width="1642" height="632" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.53.52-PM.png 1642w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.53.52-PM-300x115.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.53.52-PM-1024x394.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.53.52-PM-768x296.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-14-at-1.53.52-PM-1536x591.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1642px) 100vw, 1642px" />Our Family Coalition.</div>
The official teacher training also links to recommendations from the ACLU of Southern California that outline similar standards. 
“Generally, school staff cannot share information about your gender identity and sexual orientation without your permission, except under very limited circumstances, such as in case of an emergency,” the guidance says, adding that only in “limited circumstances” can school staff tell parents about their child’s gender identity. 
The PRISM training also linked to policies from the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network that stated, “School staff shall not disclose any information that may reveal a student’s transgender status to others, including parents or guardians.&#8221;
Jonna said the evidence that California officials attempted to mislead Benitez is damning. 
“The State claimed in court that it had rescinded the gender secrecy directives we are challenging,” he said. “But we now have evidence of a coordinated, statewide campaign to enforce Parental Exclusion Policies. The State Defendants are attempting to knowingly mislead a Federal Court in order to evade judicial review and prejudice Plaintiffs and the Certified Class. This is one of the most egregious attempts I’ve seen — if not the most — to mislead a Court, and it warrants severe sanctions.”
Benitez will also consider the constitutionality of “parental exclusion policies&#8221; on Monday. He has certified the case as a class action lawsuit, meaning that it will apply to any parent or teacher who objects to California’s policies. Those policies were put forth in California Assembly Bill 1955, which was signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, and prohibits local school districts from passing measures requiring teachers to inform parents about a student&#8217;s identity. 
Benitez, an appointee of President George W. Bush, already granted an injunction to Mirabelli and West back in 2023, protecting them from having to abide by the policy. 
Defendants in the case <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67279752/parties/mirabelli-v-olson/">include</a> Newsom, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and gubernatorial candidate and California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. Bonta sued the Chino Valley Unified School District in August 2023 over a policy it implemented protecting parental rights to know how their children are identifying. 
Greg Burt, the vice president of the California Family Council, said that it appeared that the state was &#8220;scrambling&#8221; to hide its policies and that it looked like parents in the Golden State were going to pick up a win.
&#8220;We are very excited these two teachers, down in the San Diego area, stood up to the state and instead of just following what they were saying about keeping secrets they said they couldn&#8217;t do that,&#8221; he told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Their decision to be brave is going to have a positive, hopefully a positive effect on the entire state.&#8221;

MixCollage-14-Nov-2025-01-47-PM-7796

California Officials Hid Truth About Secret Gender Transitions In Schools, Law Firm Says

California Officials Hid Truth About Secret Gender Transitions In Schools, Documents Show

California

Gavin Newsom

gender ideology

Transgender

Students in one of Ohio’s largest school districts cannot be forced to use the preferred pronouns or acknowledge the gender identity of their trans-identifying classmates, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday.
The <a href="https://www.opn.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/25a0307p-06.pdf">112-page ruling</a> smacks down a policy put into place by the Olentangy Local School District that punished students for discrimination by referring to trans-identifying classmates by their “biological pronouns” or “using gendered language they know is contrary to the other student’s identity.” The district encompasses a suburban area just north of Columbus and is Ohio’s fourth-largest.
The court ruled that the policy raises “serious free-speech concerns.” The case was brought by the advocacy group Parents Defending Education — which now goes by Defending Education. The conservative group argued that the policy was unconstitutional and forced students to adopt speech that went against their religious beliefs. Numerous other conservative and religious groups, including Alliance Defending Freedom and the Manhattan Institute, signed an amicus brief opposing the school district’s policy.
In its ruling, the appeals court said that the school district “introduced no evidence that the use of biological pronouns would disrupt school functions or qualify as harassment under Ohio law.”
“Our society continues to debate whether biological pronouns are appropriate or offensive — just as it continues to debate many other issues surrounding transgender rights. The school district may not skew this debate by forcing one side to change the way it conveys its message or by compelling it to express a different view,” the court added in its ruling.
Defending Education argued that a rule requiring students “to affirm the idea that gender is fluid” would force them to go against their firmly held religious beliefs that “biological sex is immutable and that individuals cannot transition from one sex to another.” It further argued that Olentangy Local School District’s policy on pronouns sought to control students’ speech outside of classroom hours.
After the policy went into effect, a concerned parent of a “devoutly Christian child” emailed the district in 2023, asking about the rule on pronoun use. The school district told the parent, “A student purposefully referring to another student by using gendered language they know is contrary to the other student’s identity would be an example of discrimination under Board Policy.” That email exchange led to the lawsuit filed by Defending Education. The parent who sent the email is part of the conservative organization.
The court was divided in its ruling, with Circuit Judge Jane Stranch arguing that students could completely avoid using third-person pronouns if their faith doesn’t allow them to affirm a gender identity. Stranch wrote in her dissent, “First, while it may be a new phenomenon for many to use new pronouns or to avoid using pronouns, it is certainly possible.” To prove her point, the judge wrote her entire dissent without using “gendered third person pronouns” other than in quotations.
“Second, while there may be a learning curve for young students who, on occasion, might forget and use non-preferred pronouns, the District’s Policies prohibit only the intentional use of non-preferred pronouns,” Stranch added.
The U.S. appeals court decision came on the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court issued a separate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/historical-fact-scotus-allows-trump-admin-to-require-passport-holders-to-mark-biological-sex">ruling</a> on gender and allowed the Trump administration to move forward with plans to require Americans to mark their biological sex on passports. In a 6-3 unsigned opinion, the Supreme Court froze a lower court’s order that stopped the Trump administration from removing the “X” gender option on passports.
“Displaying passport holders’ sex at birth no more offends equal protection principles than displaying their country of birth — in both cases, the Government is merely attesting to a historical fact without subjecting anyone to differential treatment,” the court wrote. “And on this record, respondents have failed to establish that the Government’s choice to display biological sex ‘lack[s] any purpose other than a bare … desire to harm a politically unpopular group.&#8217;”

Pronouns

School District Can’t Force Students To Use Preferred Pronouns Of Trans Classmates, Court Rules

Courts

Gender Pronouns

Ohio

Asylum Seeking Migrants Wait In Line For Immigration Customs Enforcement Appointments

Another Horrifying Reason We Need Mass Deportations Immediately

Islam

Michigan

Muslims

Schools

Somalia

In light of the recent loss of Charlie Kirk, we have to seriously reconsider the level of radical indoctrination in our <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/public-schools">public schools</a> — and not just at the collegiate level. The hostility that fueled such an attack doesn’t appear out of thin air. It begins in classrooms where children are taught to despise their country, question their God-given identity, and see their parents as obstacles rather than protectors. By the time students reach college, the soil has already been prepared by years of quiet but intentional indoctrination. The loss of Charlie should also serve as a rallying cry — a reminder of the price conservatives are paying in this cultural battle and the urgency to confront it head-on.
This is why the fight against gender ideology in our K–12 schools cannot wait. It is not a side issue or a distraction from “real politics.” It is the heart of the cultural crisis America faces. If children are trained from kindergarten to see themselves through the lens of gender theory rather than truth, faith, and family, then we should not be surprised when that worldview matures into radicalism, activism, and, eventually, violence.
For decades, conservatives assumed the worst indoctrination happened on college campuses. That was a mistake. Elementary schools are where the work begins — through school counselors, taxpayer-funded SEL programs, and activist-approved library shelves. Children are introduced to gender confusion long before they ever take an SAT or apply to a university. By the time they arrive on campus, the indoctrination is already deeply rooted.
Florida recognized this and acted decisively. In 2022, the state passed the Parental Rights in Education Act (<a href="https://www.flhouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h1557er.docx&amp;DocumentType=Bill&amp;BillNumber=1557&amp;Session=2022">HB 1557</a>), banning classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. In 2023, lawmakers expanded the law to apply through eighth grade and specifically addressed the use of pronouns. The Florida Board of Education later broadened protections further to cover all K–12 grades. Additional bills like <a href="https://www.flhouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h1069er.docx&amp;DocumentType=Bill&amp;BillNumber=1069&amp;Session=2023">HB 1069</a> reaffirmed that sex is biologically determined at birth, while <a href="https://www.flhouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_s0254er.DOCX&amp;DocumentType=Bill&amp;BillNumber=254&amp;Session=2023">SB 254</a> placed restrictions on gender-related medical interventions for minors.
What made this possible was the partnership of strong leadership at the top — Gov. Ron DeSantis and a conservative state school board — combined with parents pushing relentlessly from the bottom up. Importantly, the state school board did not wait for the legislature to act again; they used their authority to pass stronger policies when they saw the need. This kind of backbone is missing in school boards across the country, but it is the critical piece in reclaiming our public school systems. That partnership is the model every red state must follow if we want to preserve the innocence of children and the authority of parents.
Florida shows that the combination of political courage and grassroots activism can shift the culture of public schools. Parents had been voicing concerns for years about radical curricula, library materials, and counselors undermining parental authority. Instead of dismissing those voices, the leadership of Florida embraced them, amplifying the parents rather than silencing them. That is the blueprint. This bottom-up and top-down unity is what makes Florida distinct — and it is why conservative parents in other states look to Florida as proof that this fight can be won.
On the other end of the spectrum is California, where the guardrails are gone. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the SAFETY Act (<a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1955">AB 1955</a>), which allows schools to conceal a child’s new gender identity or pronouns from parents. San Diego schools have run classroom programs with books like <a href="https://www.iwfeatures.com/profile/controversy-erupts-in-california-school-district-over-radical-gender-ideology-in-classrooms/">My Shadow Is Pink</a>, asking fifth graders to guide kindergartners through gender-identity exercises without parental notification. And when teachers object on religious grounds — such as the Oakland kindergarten teacher fired for refusing to use pronouns that violated her conscience — the state sides with ideology, not faith or family.
California also recently lost more than $12 million in federal funding for refusing to strip “radical gender ideology” from its sex-education curriculum. Instead of correcting course, the state doubled down. This is the America our children will inherit if red states fail to act.
The danger in California isn’t limited to its own borders. Policies that begin there often spread nationwide through activist groups, teacher unions, and national curriculum providers. A book that appears in a Los Angeles classroom one year often shows up in a red-state district the next. Without strong protections, even conservative communities will find themselves importing California’s chaos. That is why the example of California should serve as both a warning and a motivator: if red states do not proactively legislate, they will be pulled in the same direction by cultural and institutional pressures.
President Trump recently issued an <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/24/2025-01567/removing-radical-gender-ideology-from-federally-funded-education-programs">executive order</a> directing the removal of radical gender ideology from federally funded education programs. That is an important step — but executive orders are temporary. What one president does, the next can undo. And without strong state-level laws, even Trump’s order cannot stop what continues to happen in liberal states like California, where ideology is embedded in classrooms regardless of federal guidance.
That’s why red states must codify protections into permanent law. And they must add accountability measures with real teeth:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Immediate removal from the classroom if teachers or counselors push gender ideology in violation of the law.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Revocation of teaching licenses so offenders cannot simply move districts or cross state lines to continue indoctrinating children.</li>
</ul>
Parents deserve more than symbolism — they deserve action. Conservative lawmakers must remember that parents are not asking for suggestions or guidelines — they are demanding laws that protect their rights and their children. Laws without accountability are empty. A policy without enforcement is a wish list. If red states want to be serious, they need to back up their words with actions that make the cost of violating parental rights unacceptably high.
Conservative states now have both the opportunity and the obligation to act. Parents are fleeing states like California in search of places where their children can be raised in safety, truth, and faith. Red states must be those safe havens. That means more than political slogans — it means codifying into law the protections families need to preserve faith-based values and the authority of parents.
If conservatives fail here, the exodus from blue states will only accelerate, but families will arrive to find that their “safe haven” is just another battleground. Conservative parents are looking for states where school boards act decisively, legislatures put children first, and governors refuse to bend to woke corporations or activist lobbies. They want leaders who will not only defend but advance the values of family, faith, and freedom.
Red states across the country now have the opportunity and the backing of parents — and if legislators refuse, they should be replaced with leaders who will. The loss of Charlie has only deepened conservatives’ resolve, reminding us of the urgency and the cultural impact of his fight.
The line is clear: pass laws protecting children from gender ideology with real accountability, and pass them first — or prepare to face a reckoning at the ballot box. Our children are not bargaining chips. They are the future of America, and they deserve to be defended. Until states pass binding protections, even Trump’s executive order cannot shield families from the spread of radical ideology in liberal states — making state action urgent and non-negotiable.
* * *
Emily Jones is a mother, community organizer, and candidate for the Alabama State Board of Education. Known as “The Controversial Mom,” she advocates for parental rights, faith-based values, and stronger accountability in public schools.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

MixCollage-25-Sep-2025-09-06-AM-6432

Why Red States Must Crush Gender Ideology In The Classroom

Activists

Elementary Schools

Gender

Parental Rights in Education

Students

Teachers

During the summer months, educators across the country flock to professional development conferences, often on the taxpayers’ dime. These events are supposed to sharpen the instructional skills of teachers and equip them with new methods for helping students succeed, addressing real challenges of education, such as declining test scores, reading comprehension, and math proficiency.
But as Defending Education’s analysis of the programming shows, what actually dominates these conferences is not literacy strategies or math interventions.
Instead, the recurring themes are race, social justice, gender, activism, and equity. From English to math, and from history to science, the same ideological buzzwords surface again and again. It’s little wonder parents are concerned, or that the nation has grown more politically divided.
Take the National Education Association (NEA), the country’s largest teachers union. At its <a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/555fe259-c382-4f14-87b0-319c288f9e68/websitePage:83a0a9c7-c495-4fe0-ad95-5eb99de3dbc2">Conference on Racial and Social Justice</a> in Portland this summer, activism, not academics, took center stage.
Unions like the NEA make no effort to hide their contempt for Donald Trump and the values of his supporters. At its annual Representative Assembly, the union <a href="https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/20250706-ratoday-issue-5.pdf">approved business items</a> labeling Trump’s agenda as “fascist” and opposing efforts to eliminate the Department of Education, which it called racist and anti-democratic. In direct response to a Supreme Court decision (Mahmoud v. Taylor) affirming religious parents’ rights to opt their children out of LGBTQ curricula, the NEA allocated $209,000 to push back and expand LGBTQ advocacy in schools. In total, the NEA committed more than $340,000 <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/national-education-association-approves-business-items-accusing-president-trump-of-fascism-and-authoritarianism-opposing-supreme-court-ruling-and-not-using-adl-materials/">toward initiatives</a> designed to counter conservative policies.
This union-driven activism is not confined to Portland. Across the country, teachers are being coached to use classrooms as platforms for reshaping opinions on society’s most sensitive issues. Students are not simply taught about history or literature; they are encouraged to become activists themselves. The worldview behind this approach borrows heavily from Marxist theory, framing society as an endless struggle between oppressors and the oppressed. That lens is being embedded into lesson plans, teacher training, and classroom culture, gradually shifting education away from its original purpose — academic instruction — toward political reeducation.
The sessions at NEA’s conference illustrate this shift. One workshop, “Building Narrative Power for Education Justice,” trained teachers to use storytelling to fight “anti-truth” and anti-LGBTQ legislation. Another warned about “White Christian nationalist forces” allegedly exploiting pan-Asian communities. Additional sessions covered “racial battle fatigue,” blurred lines between racism and ableism, and framed climate change as disproportionately harming communities of color, women, and students with disabilities. One even linked the MAGA movement to Jim Crow and Native land theft. Teachers were urged to affirm transgender student identities, disrupt curriculum challenges, and fight political opponents under the banner of education justice.
The conference also promoted the <a href="https://custom.cvent.com/820B5689CD804AEAA83FC39F9FBC8CD3/files/0a702792cebf4a3ea1c9b294c6c985b5.pdf">NEA’s pronoun guide</a>, which encourages teachers to adopt nontraditional pronouns such as ze, zir, zirs, and zirself, and to display their own pronouns as a sign of being a “safe person.” Misgendering, teachers were told, is itself a form of marginalization.
While parents worry about declining math and reading scores, union-sponsored trainings are focused on dismantling ableism, confronting White Christian nationalism, and embedding queer theory into K–12 classrooms. These are not the priorities of most American families, but within the union bubble, they are treated as urgent and non-negotiable. 
And it’s not just the NEA. The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) filled its 2024 <a href="https://s1.goeshow.com/ncte/annual/2024/conference_program_sessions.cfm">conference with sessions</a> such as “Disrupting the Canon with LGBTQIA+ Themes,” “Queer and Trans-Affirming Education,” and “Antiracist Pedagogy Workshop.”
In a perfect example encapsulating how this ideology makes its way into the classroom, one teacher at a school district in New York <a href="https://www.jecsd.org/districtpage.cfm?pageid=3211">reframed Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”</a> as a “cli-fi,” or climate fiction text, using the play as a vehicle to teach climate change.
Math education has not been spared either. <a href="https://www.nctm.org/atlanta2025/">The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’</a> (NCTM) <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/the-national-council-of-teachers-of-mathematics-2025-annual-meeting-features-sessions-on-black-feminist-mathematics-pedagogy-antiracist-math-equitable-grading-social-justice-and-whiteness/">2024 conference</a> features sessions on antiracist math, whiteness, and social justice.
One session, <a href="https://www.aievolution.com/ntm2501/index.cfm?do=ev.viewEv&amp;ev=1951">Reflecting on My Whiteness</a>, describes math itself as a “white, patriarchal space” and offers strategies to “confront the oppressive forces of whiteness” and “dismantle inequitable practices” in the classroom. <a href="https://www.aievolution.com/ntm2501/index.cfm?do=ev.viewEv&amp;ev=2046">Another highlights</a> how black women in math education “disrupt systems of oppression” and center “Black Girl Joy.” A third, <a href="https://www.aievolution.com/ntm2501/index.cfm?do=ev.viewEv&amp;ev=1930">Democracy and Data</a>, claims math should be used to advance democratic participation through a social justice lens.
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) follows the same script. At its <a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/b256b940-7874-4081-a4af-34edc50fd735/summary">July conference</a>, sessions focused on “racial harm,” “LGBTQIA+ allyship,” climate activism, and “mass mobilization training.” Teachers were also told to resist curriculum oversight as a political attack. In one session, the AFT admitted the obvious: the pandemic had a “devastating effect” on student literacy.
Yet, the same union that now bemoans literacy loss was a key player in lobbying to keep schools closed during COVID, a decision that fueled the very learning setbacks reflected in the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores. Despite <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Elementary_and_Secondary_School_Emergency_Relief_%28ESSER%29_funding_by_state?utm_">$190 billion</a> in federal COVID-19 relief funds, the data indicate a failing K–12 education system.
Meanwhile, many educators are turning to <a href="https://defendinged.org/ethnicstudies/">ethnic studies</a>, often presented through a victim–oppressor lens. The radical ethnic studies group, Xicanx Institute for Teaching and Organizing (XITO), held a <a href="https://www.xicanxinstitute.org/summer-2025">2024 Summer Institute</a> that <a href="https://www.instagram.com/xitotucson/p/DKk82TWSPMe/">promoted</a> “decolonial popular education” and urged educators to view teaching as a political weapon. Its sessions featured activists tied to <a href="https://www.ethnicstudiespedagogies.org/gallery/07%20-%20TIAHUI%20-%20A%20Decolonial%20Framework.pdf">anti-Western and antisemitic rhetoric</a>, with the explicit goal of uniting street activism and classroom instruction. And yes, school districts are footing the bill with taxpayer dollars for teachers to attend.
The common thread across these trainings is the glorification of victimhood and activism, with teachers encouraged to turn students into activists for leftist causes. Rather than instilling confidence and agency, this mindset risks fostering learned helplessness, where students believe success is unattainable without intervention.
Summer training conferences are less about improving learning outcomes and more about transforming classrooms into engines of political activism — serving unions and activist groups, but leaving behind the very students schools are meant to serve.
* * *
Kendall Tietz is an investigative reporter for Defending Education.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

MixCollage-18-Sep-2025-09-53-AM-6641

The Public School Activist Pipeline: ‘A Joyous Rebellion’

Anti-Racism

Equity

LGBTQ

National Education Association

WASHINGTON—The Education Department is partnering with a coalition of private organizations to revive civics education in American public schools and on college campuses, Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced today.
The America 250 Civics Education Coalition “is dedicated to renewing patriotism, strengthening civic knowledge, and advancing a shared understanding of America’s founding principles in schools across the nation,” the coalition said in a press release.
McMahon officially launched the coalition at an event in the nation’s capital on Wednesday — Constitution Day — alongside coalition partners from the America First Policy Institute, Turning Point USA, Hillsdale College, and more.
&#8220;Civic knowledge, engagement, and constitutional literacy among our youth — I&#8217;m going to say it&#8217;s in decline, but I could almost say it is absent,&#8221; McMahon said at the event, adding that she&#8217;s been &#8220;dismayed&#8221; by &#8220;the lack of enthusiasm for our country&#8221; she&#8217;s encountered at schools across America.
&#8220;Why don&#8217;t these young people love America?&#8221; she asked. &#8220;Because they don&#8217;t know America.&#8221;
&#8220;We have to restore this love of patriotism,&#8221; she added. &#8220;We have a president who takes the flag and hugs it! Let&#8217;s see if we can&#8217;t bring back that spirit of love and devotion to our country.&#8221;
The America 250 Civics Education Coalition “will unveil a robust programming agenda” in the coming year, including a “Fundamental Liberties College Speaker Series” that will bring speakers to all 50 states and “The Trail to Independence Tour,” a K-12-focused guide to how each state joined the union.
The group also aims to foster civic engagement in schools by distributing toolkits to teachers and honoring students with “a competition recognizing student knowledge of American history.”
The coalition builds on the Trump administration’s efforts to promote traditional civics education in the United States. President Donald Trump, in his first term, launched the 1776 Commission, a response to The New York Times’ revisionist 1619 Project.
“Rather than learning to hate one’s country or the world for its inevitable wrongs, the well-educated student learns to appreciate and cherish the oases of civilization,” the 1776 Commission wrote in its <a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/The-Presidents-Advisory-1776-Commission-Final-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">final report</a>. “In the American context, an essential purpose of this honest approach is to encourage citizens to embrace and cultivate love of country.”
Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn, a member of the 1776 Commission, said at Wednesday&#8217;s event that America was currently engaged in its third great crisis, following the American Revolution and the Civil War.
All three crises shared the same central feature, Arnn noted: &#8220;We&#8217;re fighting about the meaning of our central idea.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;re in a crisis because there&#8217;s a disagreement about the purpose of the Declaration of Independence today,&#8221; Arnn said. The Hillsdale president stressed that education, not conflict, will solve the problem.
&#8220;Charlie Kirk was murdered,&#8221; Arnn said, recalling his fellow 1776 Commission member who was assassinated one week ago. &#8220;They killed him. It didn&#8217;t settle anything.&#8221;
Kirk&#8217;s memory hung over Wednesday&#8217;s event, and the late activist was invoked by several speakers, including TPUSA&#8217;s Chief Education Officer, Hutz Hertzberg.
&#8220;We believe that though Charlie had an incredible influence,&#8221; Hertzberg said, &#8220;his influence will extend in even greater ways than it did in his life.&#8221;
&#8220;That&#8217;s why this partnership is so important. By locking arms together, we can do more to accomplish the very things that Charlie stood for.&#8221;
Erika Donalds, one of the commission&#8217;s co-chairs and wife of Florida Congressman Byron Donalds (R.), noted that the coalition aims to snuff out violent attitudes among American youth.
&#8220;If our students truly understood the Constitution of the United States, they would never think that violence is the answer,&#8221; she said.
More than 40 groups have joined the coalition, including the Heritage Foundation, the American Principles Project, PragerU, and the Claremont Institute.
In bolstering classroom efforts, the civics coalition aims to boost patriotism across the country. Just 58% of Americans say they are &#8220;extremely&#8221; or &#8220;very proud&#8221; to be an American, according to a <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/692150/american-pride-slips-new-low.aspx">recent Gallup poll</a> — a record low.
Reversing this trend has been a major focus of President Trump&#8217;s second term. In addition to reviving the 1776 Commission, which President Joe Biden shuttered shortly after taking office, the president has ordered the Smithsonian and all taxpayer-funded museums to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-vows-to-gut-wokeness-from-our-museums-we-are-not-going-to-allow-this">eliminate</a> &#8220;woke&#8221; exhibits, lamenting last month that the Smithsonian is solely focused on &#8220;how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been,&#8221; with &#8220;nothing about success, nothing about brightness, nothing about the future.&#8221;
Greg Sindelar, Interim President and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, noted that new AFPI polling found that 73% of Americans believe their children aren&#8217;t getting a good civics education, while 93% say all Americans do not know enough about their history. That ignorance, Sindelar said, is directly responsible for the rise in anti-American sentiments among the populace.
&#8220;To know America is to love her,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This is the real purpose of what this coalition is doing.&#8221;
&#8220;Together we are making history and we are teaching history,&#8221; he added. &#8220;To remember who we are, and what America is.&#8221;
In his remarks, Arnn stressed that actually reading the Founding documents and writings of the men who built this country is &#8220;the exercise we have to go through today if we are to recover ourselves.&#8221;
&#8220;We are going to lose our nation if we lose its central idea,&#8221; Arnn said. &#8220;And therefore there is no more urgent work, no more work dispositive of the future, than to read, and celebrate, and learn about&#8221; the Declaration of Independence and the tradition of American liberty.
&#8220;Learning and freedom go together, and ignorance and slavery go together,&#8221; Arnn added. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to choose one of those pairs.&#8221;
Donalds was optimistic that the coalition would ensure America chooses the former pair, saying the group&#8217;s ultimate goal is &#8220;to ensure that our children, our grandchildren, and generations to come are able to have this same celebration of pride in America at its 500th anniversary, 250 years from now.&#8221;

First Lady Melania Trump Hosts White House Task Force On AI Education

Trump Education Department Partners With TPUSA, Hillsdale College To Revive Civics Education

Charlie Kirk

Hillsdale College

Few things are more important than the education of our young people. 
That’s why, when the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released the <a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/">Nation’s Report Card</a> earlier this week, I became concerned. Average scores among 8th and 12th grade students were lower across all three primary assessments — science, math, and reading. For example, only 22% of 12th graders were proficient at their level of mathematics and 35% were proficient at their level of reading.
Scores like these should remind all of us just how important a high-quality education is for every student. While these scores are discouraging, I believe when parents and students are given a choice in education and the right leadership is in place, we will see test scores like these go up, not down. 
Most students spend more awake time in school than at home during the week and thousands of families are counting on their state officials to deliver for their children. That’s why I’m running for governor of South Carolina, to ensure that every student has access to a high-quality education – whether that’s their local traditional public school, a high-performing public charter school, or a high-quality private school. I am confident that there are thousands of outstanding teachers across South Carolina, but there are also gaps in excellence in far too many places.
I’ve spent my career in business and understand that competition makes everyone better. When traditional public schools are competing against private and public charter schools, it drives innovation, efficiency, and a desire for excellence. This free-market principle is what creates great organizations that serve people well, and it’s the same principle that will improve education for South Carolina students.
Status quo politicians and special interests have tried to pit education freedom against great public schools. I fundamentally reject this flawed argument. I attended public school and many of my grandchildren currently attend public school – and I strongly support education freedom. South Carolina parents deserve the opportunity to choose what’s best for their child.
Fortunately, South Carolina has made significant strides in improving student-centered education over the past few years, but we have room to grow. As governor, my mission will be to improve public education, increase education freedom, and ensure high school graduates are ready for a job or college.
We know what moves the needle in public education – great teachers in classrooms and great principals leading schools. The research is overwhelming: the quality of teachers and principals are two of the top in-school factors for student success. I firmly believe that leaders should make data-informed decisions, and that’s why, based on this research, we should be rewarding our top-performing teachers and principals across the state.
I want South Carolina to become the top destination in the country for the best and brightest teachers and principals. We should create a merit pay structure statewide that offers bonuses to educators who are top performers – and we should offer an extra incentive to educators who are willing to bring their high-quality instruction to low performing schools. Infusing the principles of the free market into public education will improve outcomes for students.
Concurrent with statewide merit pay, South Carolina must expand education freedom for all families in the state. Education freedom is about ensuring parents are empowered to exercise their God-given right to choose what’s best for their children. As governor, I will work every day to expand education freedom until every family has the opportunity to choose the best education for their child.
Finally, as governor, I am committed to dramatically expanding career and technical education in South Carolina. For too long, schools and businesses have been ships passing in the night. Schools enroll students in career and technical education without actually talking to businesses about what skills are needed in the workforce. I’ve spent most of my life in the private sector and I know what it takes to bring business leaders into the conversation and ensure our students are being prepared with the skills needed for family-sustaining jobs. When schools and businesses are working together for student success, the entire state wins.
Few things are more important than education. As governor, I will focus every day on leading with students at the center of the conversation. Education funding is a core function of government and it should be treated as a treasure to invest in our next generation’s education.
* * *
Ralph Norman was born and raised in South Carolina. After a successful career as a small business owner in real estate development, he entered into public service, first as a South Carolina State Representative, then as a U.S. Congressman in 2017. He’s now running to be the next Governor of South Carolina. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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