Commentary: Beware of ‘parental rights’ candidates

In 2014, a student’s father contacted me with a concern about “In Cold Blood,” a book in the Newport Harbor AP Language curriculum. Dad recognized the merit of the Pulitzer-nominated novel but expressed dismay that his daughter had to read a harrowing scene describing the murders at the heart of the story.

The AP Lang teachers worked in collaboration with this parent on a common-sense revision to how we teach the book: Give the students a heads-up about the content of that chapter and make it optional. A decade later, this is still our practice at Newport Harbor. Now, that very parent’s wife is campaigning for a seat on the NMUSD school board with a promise “to restore the partnership between parents and educators.”

That partnership still exists. There’s nothing to restore here.

We understand that it’s fashionable in some circles to criticize public institutions and vilify teachers. With that in mind, the undersigned teachers and I want to make clear that proclaiming “parental rights” is code for two goals: to lord over our community’s teachers and to censor materials available to students.

A campaign pledge to “protect parental rights” sounds good on the stump. After all, who argues against the right to raise one’s own child? Certainly no candidate, parent or educator. But those who make “parental rights” central to their platforms are not to be trusted.

Here’s why: Parents have not been deprived of any rights. The partnership between schools and parents is strong.

As evidence, look no further than our 2024 state tests scores. Last year, administration at NHHS made a simple appeal to the parent community: Please encourage your children to do their best on state tests. This message went out through direct communication, the PTA, school site council, ELAC, and other school-connected organizations. Without any academic intervention, test scores shot up 16%, and are now above pre-pandemic levels — our second-best performance ever on this test.

Now these candidates claim some crisis of trust? They’re either uninformed or disingenuous, each of which is a red flag for a candidate.

Teachers and school staff are part of the village it takes to raise a child. This push to protect “parental rights” is nothing more than the manufactured drama of politicians. Don’t elect such candidates to local office.

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Educators who have dedicated their professional lives to our community youth should be trusted to manage our schools and classrooms, period. Those educators should listen to parents with open ears and respond with open minds, period. By and large, this describes Newport-Mesa Unified under its current leadership.

No one’s rights have been violated by our schools.

Still, if we take the bait and engage the debate (say, for argument’s sake), then sure … Let’s talk about “parental rights.”

For these candidates, pandemic restrictions destroyed their trust in schools. Like many baseless arguments, it’s a seductive one: Parents wanted schools to reopen, but they didn’t. Thus, teachers can’t be trusted. Parents must take over. Simple as that.

Only one problem: That’s not what happened.

Here’s the truth. NMUSD elementary campuses were in the first wave of Orange County public schools to reopen. In our high schools, principals and teachers went all-in on a modified schedule that meant in-seat learning on day one. At least it meant that until a small group of parents pressured the Board and killed the idea. Just like that, the return to campus was shut down — and high schools remained closed until November.

This is what their version of “parental rights” looks like. A loud, privileged minority wielding undue influence over your child’s education.

If elected, these people will overrule the qualifications and experience of the educators in our schools by adopting policies intended to challenge California law. They would use their position of public trust on our nonpartisan local school board to pursue a partisan agenda to upend the California SAFETY Act. Such grandstanding will subject our district to costly litigation on a losing case. This is where “defending parental rights” will lead us.

If we elect these people, it will no longer be enough for teachers to rely on extensive district, state and professional guidance when selecting reading materials. It won’t be enough for parents and teachers to communicate directly about books available to students. These candidates will act to take direct control over what students read. Additionally, with the power entrusted to them, they will facilitate frivolous book challenges and lower the bar for removing materials from school libraries and classrooms. This will limit the choices available to your child.

Those who “fight for parental rights” don’t really care about your rights or your children. They want their way to be the only way; they want to dictate what’s right for every child, including yours. This is their real agenda.

Of course, the politically ambitious are happy to spread mistruth if it means more votes, and politicians have every right to make false claims. After all, speech is free.

But logic and reason come at a cost, and these candidates haven’t done their homework. They are unfit to serve on the NMUSD Board of Trustees.

Matt Armstrong is an English teacher at Newport Harbor High School. His commentary is co-signed by fellow NMUSD educators Margaret Anderson, roving teacher; Laura Barnebey, Newport Harbor; Cynthia Blackwell, retired teacher; Susan Bond, Newport Harbor; Evan Chalmers, Newport Harbor; Cori Ciok, Newport Harbor; Oscar Constandse, Monte Vista Independent Study; Quinn Corbett, Newport Harbor; Rachel de los Santos, Estancia High; Britt Dowdy, Ensign Intermediate School; Danielle Fratantaro, Eastbluff Elementary; Gwen Gaylord, Newport Harbor; Alex Gladstone-Lamas, Andersen Elementary; Jane Hartley, Monte Vista High; John Hoist, Newport Harbor; Bob Kelly, retired teacher; Annabelle King, Newport Harbor; Gretchen Koppe, Newport Harbor; Kiran Kumar, Newport Harbor; Timothy McFadden, Rea Elementary; Monique Montiel, Woodland Elementary; Mackenzie Ogle, Pomona Elementary; Colleen Patton, Ensign Intermediate School; Kirby Piazza, Costa Mesa High; Claire Ratfield, retired teacher; Robin Roberts, College Park Elementary; Gary Robinson, Newport Harbor; Janis Weitz, Newport Harbor; and Khadra Zerouali, Newport Harbor.