They/we are waking up. It’s real. I had my 4 kids in our local (somewhat leftist—CA Bay Area) school district from 2010-2020 and have followed school board policies and union activities closely (and still do).
Prior to 2020, parents in my district were very supportive of teachers and the district, and even believed the union when they went around with phrases like “#ForOurKids” which was of course total BS (I knew before 2020; parents woke up with the shutdowns).
Now since the pandemic, parent involvement has skyrocketed, attendance is high and combative and parents are skeptical of anything the district does now. We also attempted to recall 3 of 5 trustees (the only ones eligible for recall) but were unfortunately unsuccessful (not quite enough signatures). But we have new good parent-focused trustees ready to vote for in the fall. It’s going to be tough, as there is a lot of union $$ to union-backed trustees and the unions are nasty and will try to destroy our candidates most likely.
It’s all very different. Parents are awake and cynical, and question and protest much more than before.
As for me and my family, I moved one teen to private school and one teen to homeschooling in 2020. I stay and fight for other students in my community but was blessed and resourceful enough to have moved my own kids out.
It’s the Year of the Parent.
I applaud you and wish you and your fellow fighting parents all the success in the world. Our country is at stake.
So many of these institutions have been taken by a few determined and committed leftist activists.
There are way more of us than them. We just need to make our voices and demands heard and we can send them packing.