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Education

Parental Protection not Paranoia

By | Defense of Family, Education, News and Events | No Comments

The truth will set you free! Vanity Fair reporter Caleb Ecarma in a recent article “How the Right is Turning Political Paranoia into ‘Parents’ Rights’” skews and takes out of context comments made by Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America, to the reporter directly and on a panel discussion at CPAC. We want to set the record straight and give everyone the full context of the questions and answers.

Mr. Ecarma: What most concerns you about the current American education system and cultural climate as it pertains to children?  

 

Penny Nance: Our children are falling behind in basic educational skills, especially in math and science.  Fundamentals are being replaced by some teachers and administrators in favor of gender theory, sex education, critical race theory, and Marxist ideology. 

Mr. Ecarma: You and your co-panelists yesterday discussed the lack of humanity and dignity within the schools shaping the next generation of Americans. As a former K-12 homeschooler myself, I’ve been hearing more and more stories from parents looking to raise their children in a similar fashion. Do you think that more conservative parents should consider homeschooling right now, even if just as a stop-gap measure while conservative advocates like yourself work to change schools? 

 

Penny Nance: Parents are desperate for their children to receive a quality education, but they are also appalled to learn that radical ideologues are callously overstepping their authority by undermining parents’ ability to protect their children.  Any adult, even a teacher or school administrator who says, “don’t tell your parents” is not looking after a child’s best interest.  

 

We support what parents want which is educational opportunities tailored to each child’s individual needs.  CWA is very enthusiastic about Education Savings Accounts that have been passed in ten states with more looking at this option for parents to use their tax dollars to choose the school that best fits the needs of their child. 

 

Although homeschooling is a good option for some families, it’s not a possible alternative for others. As a working mom, my children attended private Christian school but it’s expensive and I grieve that it’s out of reach for many other families.  My friend. whose child struggles due to special needs, literally moved in order for her child to attend a public school district that was better able to serve her child. Open enrollment would allow parents to choose from any school in their area.

 

Our point is that families should be able to choose from a range of options: public, private, Jewish Day school, Christian, STEM charter school, home tutors, or homeschooling. No child should be trapped in a substandard school due to their zip code.  My friend, Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, says, “The new redline is the zip codes that trap poor children in failing schools.”  Parents are most able to determine what’s best for their children. The money should follow the child instead of being controlled by government bureaucracies that don’t know that child. When parents are able to choose, eventually the failing schools will either rise to meet the challenge or close and be replaced by better options. 

Mr. Ecarma: On the stage yesterday, you mentioned that the old gods, Baal and Moloch, are being revived in America. Do you believe this is a literal manifestation––that these religions are on the rise again and that people shaping the culture serve them––or something else? 

 

Penny Nance: I was referencing a recent piece written by Naomi Wolf.  I am quite sure the people working to expose small children to graphic, sexually explicit material don’t think they are serving a pagan god or that they are damaging children, but this new culture is a cult or replacement religion where they find acceptance and belonging.

 

Unfortunately, the Christian Church has not been there for them.  As C.S. Lewis said there is a God shaped vacuum in every person, and that vacuum will be filled by something. Tim Keller wrote a book called “Counterfeit Gods” that talks about how as humans we can’t help but replace God with our own version: money, fame, power, sex, drugs, alcohol.  

 

But for some it is less obvious. I believe that “gender warriors” have found their new religion, but it’s not new; it’s actually old. Gnosticism, which was fought by the early Christians, believed that the body and spirit were completely separate. Christianity says that you are to worship God, body, mind, and spirit (I Corinthians 6:19-20).  Add to the mix that shockingly Satanism, although rare, is becoming more openly practiced. Satanists insist abortion is part of worship. The Old Testament Canaanites sacrificed their children to Baal.  How is this different?  Purposefully grooming a child, breaking down their innate sense of modesty and working to introduce confusion and chaos into their little minds is abusive. The smug community of educators who feel powerful by pulling one over on parents serve darkness whether they know it or not.  

Mr. Ecarma: It is often said that the Reagan revolution began at PTA meetings and school boards. Do you believe a similar nationwide movement is taking place right now? And can you detail some of the work you’re doing to change what is being taught in American schools? 

 

Penny Nance: The new freedom revolution began during Covid lockdowns at kitchen tables as parents witnessed both the lack of basic education being taught and in its place, children being served up gender ideology, critical race theory, and Marxist philosophy. Maybe some parents are okay with teachers suggesting that their elementary school child should consider with which of 72 genders they identify and conspiring to keep parents in the dark.  Those parents are welcome to keep the status quo.  But most parents want the ability to choose wisely for their children whom they love more than life itself.  We are urging moms to be aware of what is being taught to their children, women to run for school board, and most importantly, to speak up and advocate for educational freedom.  We are working in every state to break the education monopoly by passing laws that create the ability for the money to follow the child. 

Mr. Ecarma: If a Republican candidate wins the next presidential election, what would you like to see them change in regard to schools and parental rights once they are in power?

 

Penny Nance: Education is primarily a state and local issue, but to the extent that the federal government is involved, it needs to return jurisdiction of the schools to parents and incentivize schools to better accomplish their mission. I speak to teachers regularly who are deeply dissatisfied with the status quo. Educational reform is to the benefit of hardworking teachers as well as families.  

You Gotta Love Educational Savings Accounts

By | Education, LBB, News and Events | No Comments

ESAs, as they are known, empower parents to make the best choice for their children’s education. It gives parents some of the public funds that the state often misuses in each child’s public education, allowing parents to use it for educational purposes in the best way they see fit. For example, parents can use it to cover private school tuition or online learning programs. Funds can be used for private tutoring, homeschooling, or other educational materials. The possibilities are endless. The choice is in the hands of the persons most interested in the child’s success: the parents. This is good. Parents need school choice.

 

Contrary to what you will hear from some detractors, ESAs do not destroy public schools. Parents who feel their public school is working need not change. They need not apply to receive the money and can continue as they have before. But the reality for millions of American children is that their public school system is failing them, and they are stuck in that failing school or system because of how the law has been set up.

 

Recent national exam results revealed “the steepest declines ever recorded on National Assessment of Educational Progress” in math proficiency. Just 26% of eighth graders were proficient! Fourth graders did not fare much better, just 36% were deemed proficient. Reading scores also declined. Only about one in three students met the proficiency standards.

 

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona called these results “appalling and unacceptable.” But Secretary Cardona and the overwhelming majority of the Democrats’ leadership oppose school choice. Their solution is to pump more money into failing schools while ignoring their pathetic record.

 

I hope the pandemic has opened the eyes of many Americans to the toxic environment that drives educational policy nationwide. Virtually every educational bureaucracy, pressured by influential teachers’ unions, forced the unscientific and irrational policy of prolonged school closures, not to mention the cruel and unnecessary forced masking policies on young children.

 

It was simply amazing to read in the pages of The New York Times just this week (almost four years after the start of the pandemic!), “The Mask Mandates Did Nothing. Will Any Lessons Be Learned?” The article highlighted the “most rigorous and comprehensive analysis of scientific studies conducted on the efficacy of masks for reducing the spread of respiratory illness—including Covid-19.” The lead author of the study, Oxford epidemiologist Tom Jefferson, was quoted saying there is no evidence that masks make any difference, “Full stop.”

 

Yes, after all they put us through— after all they put our children through. They knew it was all for nothing. It was a show. This is infuriating, especially when it comes to children, because although the masks did nothing to “stop the spread” (not in two weeks, two months, or more than two years), they did do something in terms of harming our children’s educational, linguistic, social, and emotional development. Our children have paid the price of their incompetence.

 

That is a big reason you are hearing and will continue to hear more about ESAs being passed in different states. We should support them in every state.

 

As of now, I believe there is a version of them (in varying degrees) in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia. Let us pray for many more in the coming years.

Nance: Give parents the power of the purse – educational savings accounts.

By | Education, News and Events, Special Feature | No Comments

Concerned Women for America (CWA) believes every child deserves educational freedom and that a zip code should not determine a student’s success. In her just published op-ed for Newsweek, Penny Nance, CWA’s CEO and President, discusses the important option of Educational Saving Accounts.

 

Penny had this to say in the article, “Give parents the power of the purse. Education Savings Accounts allow parents to use their tax dollars to pay for education that best supports their children. Nine states have already adopted ESA policies, including five in the last two years, and more will consider it this year. Let’s make it happen.”

States Rejoice for School Choice

By | Education, Legislative Updates, News and Events | No Comments

Every child deserves educational freedom. At Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC), we saw landmark developments in the states for the school choice movement during National School Choice Week.

 

Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-Iowa) listened to the voices of parents in Iowa and signed key education policy into law. Under Iowa’s Students First Act, state education funding—an estimated $7,598 per student—can go to K-12 students who choose to attend private schools and pay for their schooling and other qualified education expenses.

 

Gov. Spencer Cox (R-Utah) signed into law the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program. Eligible students can apply for and receive an $8,000 per-year scholarship for qualified education expenses, with preference for lower-income families and a program cap of $42 million per year.

 

In Arkansas, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ (Republican) signed an executive order—her first in office—that directs the Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Education and the Arkansas State Board of Education to create “policies that streamline processes to continue, expand, and replicate effective charter schools.”

 

No student should be forced to attend failing schools or schools that denigrate their beliefs and values. Unfortunately, parents have seen far too much of this, and the problem accelerated during the pandemic. These actions by Govs. Reynolds, Cox, and Sanders empower parents to choose the best education for their children and advance education freedom. A key component of education freedom is educational choice—at CWALAC, we focus on choice in the forms of education savings accounts and open enrollment. CWA has already identified target states to advance the mission for educational choice: Florida, Louisiana, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia. In each of these states, more can be done.

 

Iowa’s Students First Act, as mentioned, above, creates an education savings account (ESA). ESAs vary from state to state, but generally speaking, ESAs are publicly funded, are administered by the state government, and use state funding already allocated for the student. ESAs are used to provide an education in reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies, and science. ESAs allow a parent to purchase vetted educational services to tailor a learning experience that meets a student’s needs.

 

Every student must have access to an ESA, like in Iowa and the nine other states that have adopted ESAs that are publicly funded: Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. An ESA helps fulfill the proper goal of education to impart knowledge to students and teach them how to think, not what to think.

 

Open enrollment refers to the policy of allowing students to request to transfer to another school either within a school district (intradistrict open enrollment) or outside of the school district (interdistrict open enrollment) in which the student resides. Over half of the states have policies permitting intradistrict or interdistrict open enrollment. Fourteen states require interdistrict open enrollment for all grade levels.

 

Of those 14 states, five states—Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, South Dakota, and Tennessee—have the strongest policy because they require schools to accept transfer requests, subject to capacity of the receiving school. Gov. Sanders’ executive order builds on Arkansas’ strong foundation in what is sometimes called “public school choice.”

 

Every student must have access to transfer-request acceptance as in Arkansas and the other four states. Without it, there is a risk of open-endedness in transfer policies that give schools the latitude to create policies that prioritize the preservation of an institution rather than an individual student’s quality of education.

 

The remaining nine states require schools to have policies for transfer requests but do not require acceptance of transfer requests: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wisconsin. Open enrollment that is interdistrict, available for all grade levels, and available for any reason (subject to capacity) gives even more options to the parents and the student to achieve maximum educational outcomes.

 

A zip code should not determine a student’s success. The pandemic, despite its many tragedies, has resulted in an opportune climate for change in education policy. For this year’s National School Choice Week, more parents are experiencing more meaningful choice in their student’s education.

Loudoun County Hellscape Part II: Reckless Disregard for Women’s Safety

By | Defense of Family, Education, LBB, News and Events, Sex Trafficking / Pornography, Virginia | No Comments

The abduction and sexual assault of a female student at Broad Run High School were preventable. This much the grand jury report states unequivocally—and appropriately so. The school administrators’ reckless disregard for women’s safety was systemic and has been going on for years at Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS).

When the perpetrator raped a young woman at Stone Bridge High School, the first time that we know of, the school had already been alerted to his dangerous sexual tendencies. When a teacher alerted her superiors, the administrators questioned her motivations. You see, the boy who ended up assaulting two female students wore a skirt. LCPS strives to be very sensitive, welcoming, and accepting of transgender students. That’s the priority.

When the rape of the young woman in the female bathroom was first reported, one of the first emails explaining the situation was from LCPS’ chief operating officer, who stated unequivocally that the incident “related to policy 8040.” The grand jury report notes, “Policy 8040 addresses the rights of transgender and gender-expansive students.” In other words, the focus of LCPS from the beginning was not on the victims and the safety of other female students potentially at risk but on the perpetrator’s rights…

 

Click here to read the rest of Mario’s exclusive Substack column. And be sure to subscribe below to never miss one of his posts again!

Loudoun County Hellscape Part I.5: Indictments Issued

By | Defense of Family, Education, LBB, News and Events, Virginia | No Comments

Part II of our series discussing Loudoun County Public Schools’ reckless disregard for women’s safety will be published later this week (for more background, please read Part I of this series). But I felt an update was needed before that. This week, the court unsealed four indictments against two Loudoun County Public School employees. I want to express again my appreciation for the efforts of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and the special grand jury. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all.

 

Fired superintendent Scott Ziegler, who lied to the public, denying the rape that occurred in a school restroom under his watch, got “one count of misdemeanor false publication (Va. Code § 18.2-209), one count of misdemeanor prohibited conduct (Va. Code § 2.2-3103), and one count of misdemeanor penalizing an employee for a court appearance (Va. Code § 18.2-465.1).” Still current Public Information Officer (which is unbelievable, although he has been “put on leave”) Wayde Byard has been charged with “one count of felony perjury (Va. Code § 18.2-434).”

 

What does it all mean? For Ziegler, the false publication charge and the penalizing an employee for a court appearance charge are merely class 3 misdemeanors, which only carry “a fine not more than $500.” Given the outrageous package deal he got when he was dismissed “without cause” (yes, still fuming about that!), these charges alone would serve as a great insult to the victims and the community. Not to mention a great incentive for the next public official to take the chance of lying to the public when in hot waters…

 

Click here to read the rest of Mario’s exclusive Substack column. And be sure to subscribe below to never miss one of his posts again!

Loudoun County Hellscape Part I: Victims Be Damned

By | Defense of Family, Education, LBB, News and Events, Sexual Exploitation | No Comments

The weight of writing about this story has been almost unbearable. Every keystroke requires an unusual sort of effort accompanied by a prayer that God may grant the grace of a positive impact. “Positive” is not a word you would associate with the events of the past few years at Loudoun County Public Schools. And although we should be incredibly grateful to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares for appointing a grand jury to investigate these events and to the citizens who served on the grand jury, reading the report is painstakingly frustrating.

 

The report finds leadership failures at the highest levels of school administrations that are appalling, immoral, and should be criminal. Yet, no indictments have been issued. We will, therefore, examine these failures in a series of posts meant to stress the gravity of these events and amplify the victim’s continued cry for justice. Part I: Victims Be Damned.

 

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the grand jury report is its lack of focus on the victims. But before I get into that, a quick summary of the events is in order…

 

Click here to read the rest of Mario’s exclusive Substack column. And be sure to subscribe below to never miss one of his posts again!

Shining a Light on Education

By | Education, LBB, News and Events | No Comments

I believe it was Voltaire who said, “Common sense is not so common.” Such is the case for the educational bureaucracy suffocating our children’s future with their sociological experiments in public schools. Parental involvement and transparency seem like common sense requirements to any successful public-school program, but not according to the radicals who so often have taken over education in our cities and states. They are hurting our kids, putting on them unnecessary burdens to satisfy their personal cravings while actively shielding themselves from accountability by keeping parents in the dark.

The age of Tik Tok has exposed how a disturbing number of teachers use their classrooms for self-affirmation, with many planning their “coming out” as LGBTQ+ as teaching exercises, or tricking students into pledging to the LGBTQ+ flag, or incentivizing them to attend Antifa rallies for classroom credit, or promoting Critical Race Theory (CRT) themes to shame white students about their “privilege.” The list is endless.

The curriculum and books assigned are often chosen to support these same radical ideas. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (Republican) recently brought attention to one book being used. In a recent interview, she quoted from the “memoir-manifesto” called “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by the self-identified “non-binary” author George Johnson. The scene she mentioned describes a graphic and disturbing sexual act between two cousins, both male. I will not quote the passage as it is too graphic, but, just so you get a taste, it starts with, “You told me to take my pajamas, my pajama pants … You then took off your shorts, followed by your boxers.”

There are hundreds of books like this in our K-12 school libraries all over the country. Some may be in your child’s school. But you are kept in the dark by design.

The answer to the works of darkness is always light. This is the invitation that Paul gives us in Ephesians 5:11 to “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

In that spirit, I want to highlight for you one effort that every state should take up. These are efforts to require school curriculum, resources, and training materials to be posted and easily searchable to the public online. If your state does not have this law, I encourage you to approach your elected state representative or senator with the idea. Christopher Rufo at the Manhattan Institute, who has been an important voice exposing the CRT tentacles in our society, has a model bill called “A Model for Transparency in School Training and Curriculum,” which can be a useful starting point.

But a number of states have similar legislation in the works — Arizona, Utah, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, among others.

Transparency is the key. No longer should school bureaucracies be able to shield bad actors within our education system, as they have done for years.

But rest assured that school bureaucracies will not give up that power easily. It must be demanded. By you and me.

Concerned Women Applaud Virginia AG Miyares for his Public Universities COVID-19 Vaccines Opinion

By | Education, News and Events, Press Releases | No Comments

Attorney General Jason Miyares issued a legal opinion today that Virginia colleges cannot require their students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as a general condition of students’ enrollment or in-person attendance.

Miyares highlights the opinion that “as recognized in the prior opinion, ‘[t]here is no question that the General Assembly could enact a statute requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for in-person school attendance.’ As of this writing, it has not done so. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the General Assembly has amended other statutes to address pandemic-related issues.”

Penny Nance, President and CEO of Concerned Women for America (CWA), gave the following statement responding to today’s release:

“Attorney General Miyares’ opinion proves that he respects the rule of law and listens to students, parents, and school employees. His first opinion as Virginia AG is a huge step in the right direction to personal freedom in education in the Commonwealth of Virginia. No student should be denied admission to an institution or admittance to class because of their vaccine status.

“Nothing in Virginia law empowers public universities to make such requirements, and therefore we urge them to immediately rescind their policies.policies.

“We are grateful to Gov. Youngkin and Attorney General Miyares and urge them to continue prioritizing education, parents, and students in Virginia and continue to push back on the authoritarian establishment.

“Concerned Women for America applauds Attorney General Miyares and will continue to stand up for individual freedom and civil rights for Americans.”

For media inquiries, please contact: Katie Everett, Press Secretary 571-420-248

Nance Discusses Justice Breyer’s retirement and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona with EWTN

By | Education, News and Events | No Comments

Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President, Penny Nance joined EWTN to discuss Justice Breyer’s retirement and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. Listen to the full interview below to hear about the upcoming Supreme Court confirmation battle and the Biden Administrations’ war on parents.

Nance Discusses Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona with EWTN from Concerned Women for America on Vimeo.

Nance calls on the Secretary of Education to resign.

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Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President, joined conservative leaders calling on U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to resign, citing revelations from a Freedom of Information Act request uncovering his personal involvement in the National School Boards Association letter that prompted the Attorney General of the United States to issue a directive to law enforcement against parents speaking up at school board meetings.

“Secretary Cardona’s involvement in the conception of this letter is especially alarming considering that it was subsequently used by the Department of Justice to legitimize a new initiative cracking down on vaguely defined ‘threats’ to school boards — and threatening the First Amendment rights of parents to speak freely and petition their government.”

Read the full memorandum from conservative leaders HERE.

Nance in Townhall: The One Area Where Youngkin Should Follow Former Govs. McAuliffe and Northam’s Lead

By | Defense of Family, Education, News and Events | No Comments

Parents’ rights in education won Glenn Youngkin (Republican) the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election. Now, in order to live up to the promises of his campaign and turn the tide of Virginia’s leftward lurch in the education system, Governor-Elect Youngkin should follow the lead of his predecessors. He must appoint stalwart members to Virginias Higher-ed institutions governing boards who will stand up for the rights and interests of the people who voted for him.

Read the latest from Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President, entitled “The One Area Where Youngkin Should Follow Former Govs. McAuliffe and Northam’s Lead” in Townhall Opinion here.

CWA Stands with Religious School and Parents

By | Defense of Family, Education, News and Events | No Comments

Today, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Carson v. Makin. The case involves a Maine tuition assistance program that discriminates against religious institutions. As Concerned Women for America (CWA) explains in its brief, the case involves serious violations of religious freedoms. The program takes important educational decisions away from families in Maine, treating parents who desire a religious education for their children like second-class citizens.

CWA CEO and President Penny Nance said:

“This state infringes on foundational constitutional rights by denying tuition assistance based on a family’s desire to raise their children according to their faith. Maine’s law seeks to remove religious institutions from the education choices of parents and families who reside there. Parents should have freedom when it comes to their children’s education, whether secular or religious.

“A school’s eligibility to receive funds should not be contingent on the educational institution’s religious beliefs. The state of Maine should honor funds promised in the tuition assistance program regardless of the educational choice of the parent.”

Nance in Fox News: Hey Joe Biden and Democrats, leave our kids and childcare alone

By | Defense of Family, Education, News and Events | No Comments

In recent years, the American system of self-governance has shifted to an all-powerful watchdog that seeks to control every aspect of its people’s lives. But it may have just taken its most egregious overstep: a federal power grab to control childcare.

Read the latest from Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President, entitled “Hey Joe Biden and Democrats, leave our kids and childcare alone” in Fox News Opinion here.

YWA September Leader’s Call with Rep. Chip Roy

By | Education, News and Events, Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, YWA | No Comments

Rep. Chip Roy (Republican) serves the 21st District of Texas. At the end of July, Rep. Roy introduced the Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2021 alongside Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana) and Rep. Mary Miller (R-Illinois).

The Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2021 would prohibit the federal government from funding “any institution of higher education that hosts or is affiliated with any school-based service site that provides abortion drugs or abortions to students of the institution or to employees of the institution or site.”

We are grateful to Rep. Roy for taking a firm stand for life and excited to have him join our YWA Leader’s Call on September 13.

Date: Monday, September 13
Time: 
5:30 p.m. Eastern (4:30 p.m. Central; 3:30 p.m. Mountain; 2:30 p.m. Pacific)
Register 
hereand please feel free to share the link with like-minded friends and family! An email with the link for the call and information will follow upon registration.

Best,
Annabelle Rutledge
National Director, Young Women for America

From the Frontlines: How This Mom Is Putting Woke School Boards on Notice

By | Education, Media, News and Events | No Comments

Today, the Loudoun County School Board in Virginia will meet once again to vote on various matters concerning what some parents cite as “indoctrination” in their schools. The latest in a trove of Critical Race Theory clashes, this meeting was rescheduled after the first attempt was shut down earlier this summer, citing too much chaos.

To offer some insights into this new ground zero, Concerned Women for America’s CEO and President, Penny Nance, sat down with Monica Gill – a wife, mother, author, and educator who has spent over 25 years in the education system right at the center of it all: Loudoun County, VA. Monica has been on the frontlines of this battle, defending the Biblical worldview, and bringing attention to the damaging effects Critical Race Theory is having on students.

Listen to the full conversation and get some advice from Monica on what others can do who are willing to stand in the gap. You can listen by clicking below or by searching “Concerned Women Today” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else you normally stream.

Why Christians should reject Critical Race Theory

By | Education, National Sovereignty, News and Events, Religious Liberty, YWA | No Comments

What is Critical Race Theory (CRT)? CRT is a lens through which people can choose to view the world, and it presents a society in which there are two categories oppressor (white) and oppressed (non-white). CRT has grown under the false notion that it seeks to provide empathy and reconciliation for past wrongs in America. Many believe that it is an avenue to discuss injustice, history, race, and civil rights.

Supporters claim, “The movement champions many of the same concerns as the civil rights movement but places those concerns within a broader economic and historical context. It often elevates the equality principles of the Fourteenth Amendment above the liberty principles of the First Amendment.” However, CRT is the antithesis of the civil rights movement. It does not seek equality—it seeks equity. Critical Race theorists actually stand against some of Martin Luther King Junior’s founding ideas.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” – Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.

Critical Race theorists believe this concept of colorblindness in itself is racist because it “ignores” disparities toward black and brown people of color. CRT theorists believe that people should and must see color in order to combat white supremacy.

“Colorblindness neutralizes non-neutral baselines. It makes it seem like race is introduced when we think about racial disparity as if race is not already there,” – Kimberlé Crenshaw, co-pioneer in the CRT movement.

Many Christians are allowing Critical Race Theory to shape their worldview, albeit actively or passively, but there are three distinct reasons why Christians should reject CRT outright.

First, CRT teaches the sin of partiality. The theory leaves little to no room for other factors in disparities; instead, it separates based on skin color. CRT shares the fundamental belief with the concept they claim to fight against—white supremacy. Both concepts share the foundational belief that white skin is superior and, therefore, results in benefits in society. Followers of Christ are instructed to not partake in favoritism or partiality toward any group— including based on economic status, ethnicity, or race, as seen in Leviticus 19:15, 1 Timothy 5:21, and Deuteronomy 1:17.

“If you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers” (James 2:9).

The CRT lens of oppressor (white) – oppressed (non-white) offers no forgiveness to those who look like people who committed past wrongs. The theory claims that white Americans, regardless of their personal experiences, must unlearn their inherent racism and are responsible for the disparities in society. This concept imparts guilt to the guiltless. Believers should reject this as we know racism is a sin problem, not a skin problem, and we cannot justify hatred toward our fellow man (1 John 4:20).

Further, CRT states that our core identity is in our skin color rather than Christ. Christians, on the other hand, place Christ as the center and embrace all peoples because God created us all. All people are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image (Psalm 139:14). Our core identity is in Christ, not the color of our skin (2 Cor 5:17). I may be fearfully and wonderfully brown, and a brother or sister may be fearfully and wonderfully white. However, these characteristics are not our identities.

Third, CRT justifies covetousness. CRT claims to advocate for equality and equal opportunity, but, in reality, it advocates for equity and equal outcomes. Those are not the same. Equal opportunity guarantees that we are all treated the same, but equity demands that we all obtain the same success, regardless of circumstances. It encourages us to see our success in terms of my neighbors, promoting envy. If I am not as successful as my white classmate, it must be because the school is discriminating against me for being brown.

Equity is not Biblical. In Luke 12:13-15, Jesus warns us about the dangers of coveting:

“Then one from the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to
divide the inheritance with me.’ But He said to him, ‘Man, who
made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?’ And He said to them,
‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does
not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’”

The man in the crowd assumed that Jesus would split the inheritance because of the injustice or unequal outcome, but Jesus saw it far more important to warn of the root problem of the issue—the condition of his heart. The sin of covetousness is masked under the false sense of “equality.” Christians should beware of CRT’s perhaps unintended push towards covetousness.

As British author and evangelist Campbell Morgan once said, “To divide property between covetous men is to prepare for future strife. To make men free from covetousness is to make peace.”

CRT does not teach true history, nor does it seek to unify people; rather, it reaches far into the past of American history to blame injustices on one particular group that, in reality, had nothing to do with the injustices of the past. Why would we, as believers, hold bitterness and animosity toward our white brothers and sisters who have not committed these injustices? Scripture tells us, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31).

As believers, we should speak the truth in love as we pray for wisdom and boldness to speak against these social theories that go against the Gospel. Samuel Sey, author of Slow to Write, said it well, “The most tempting thing about critical race theory for me isn’t that I will sin by embracing its false Gospel. The most tempting thing about it for me is that I’ll sin by reacting against it in a manner unworthy of the Gospel.” Let us remember his words and stand against CRT in a manner worthy of our calling to be disciples of Christ.

Webinar: How to Lobby the Education Bureaucracy

By | Education, News and Events | No Comments

Date: Thursday, July 8
Time: 4:00 p.m. Eastern [3:00 p.m. Central; 2:00 p.m. Mountain; 1:00 p.m. Pacific)

Webinar Description:
Navigating and influencing the education bureaucracy can be very confusing and somewhat intimidating. It is vital to know when and how to approach your local and state school boards. This webinar will teach citizen activists effective techniques on how to go before school boards, state committees, or teacher groups with pressing concerns in order to cause change. You will walk away knowing you can make positive changes for your children and the community.

Register here.

 

School Districts: The New Ground Zero

By | Education, News and Events | No Comments

Critical Race Theory. Project 1619. Girls and boys using the same bathrooms and locker rooms. Biological males competing as female athletes. Preferred pronouns. Sex education.

Radical liberal elitists have been hard at work co-opting local school boards and departments of education for years in order to spread their ideology. But parents and concerned citizens are waking up, speaking up, and fighting back against the Left’s extremist goals to indoctrinate and sexualize students in school systems across America.

Case in point: Concerned Women for America (CWA) was in the trenches with parents last night at two separate school board meetings fighting against transgender issues and Critical Race Theory. I wanted to share with you our front-line report from the meetings and CWA action items.

Loudoun County Virginia
Don’t believe the national media hype about the Loudoun County School Board meeting last night. CWA staff and interns joined over 300 parents and concerned citizens of Loudoun County to stand in opposition to the school board’s rush to push two transgender policies: allowing transgender students to use the bathroom corresponding to their preferred gender and to participate in sports with biological males and females based on that preference.

Per our staff, the board room was filled to capacity with parents and citizens attending to peacefully oppose the proposed transgender policies. It was evident from the beginning of the meeting that the Leftist board chair was intent on stoking the fires to get a reaction out of the parents with the aim of gaining “newsworthy” coverage. The chairwoman shut down public comments because the attendees booed an LGBT activist who said there was “hate dripping from the followers of Jesus in this room” and by causing “chaos” by applauding the impassioned comment by former State Sen. Dick Black (R-Loudoun County). Before the crowd began to disperse, the crowd sang the national anthem. Unfortunately, a disturbance was made by a couple of individuals after the meeting ended, which the media latched on to for their stories.

Ft. Worth, Texas
Compare that to the meeting in Texas where passionate parents in Fort Worth rose to speak in opposition to the school district’s emphasis on radical ideology over academics. Danielle Buck, CWA employee and mother, spoke out against Critical Race Theory and urged the school board to stop investing in divisive, politically charged ideologies. Danielle commented, “CRT is an ideology that is wrong. More than that, it is abusive, racist, and discriminatory. I will not be silent anymore. I am a mom teaching my son that how we treat others should be based on who they are and not on the color of their skin.” Though cheers are heard there, the board was much more accommodating to the parents’ concerns and there was no need for law enforcement to get involved.

Take Action!

Here are a few strategic ways you can engage to help stop the Leftist’s radical ideology freight train that is moving 100-mph heading straight toward our children.

  1. Run for your local school board or recruit someone else to run.
  2. Attend your local school board meetings. Everything that relates to schools is decided at these meetings – standards, curricula, budget, hiring, and firing.
  3. Form a network of concerned parents and citizens to monitor and speak out on issues.
  4. Attend CWA’s free webinar “How to Lobby the Education Bureaucracy.” Details and registration below.

How to Lobby the Education Bureaucracy
Date: Thursday, July 8
Time: 4:00 p.m. Eastern [3:00 p.m. Central; 2:00 p.m. Mountain; 1:00 p.m. Pacific)
Register here.

Webinar Description:
Navigating and influencing the education bureaucracy can be very confusing and somewhat intimidating. It is vital to know when and how to approach your local and state school boards. This webinar will teach citizen activists effective techniques on how to go before school boards, state committees, or teacher groups with pressing concerns in order to cause change. You will walk away knowing you can make positive changes for your children and the community.