The Biden administration has quietly released a proposal for a new administrative rule that will require charter schools to prove their commitment to far-left politics or risk losing federal funding.
A 14-page proposal published by the U.S. Department of Education on March 14 — with the public comment period closing on Wednesday — makes it clear that the Biden administration will make it more difficult for charter schools to open and cripple those already in existence.
The proposal includes a detailed list of requirements that charters will have to meet before they can receive funding, along with guidelines they will have to follow to continue keeping doors open.
One of the requirements facing charter schools, should this proposal pass, is requiring partnership with at least one “traditional” public school in their area. Greedy teachers unions will be thrilled with this arrangement, as charters will be on the hook to help provide things like curriculum, “professional development opportunities,” and a “shared transportation system” with their public partner, not to mention providing for the students already in their care.
Forcing Charters to Prioritize Racial Quotas
Another guideline will require new charters to prove their allegiance to leftist politics. It will be mandatory for charters to showcase their commitment to social justice and discourage school choice. According to leftists, school choice will lead to schools becoming segregated again, and charters must be committed to making sure that any move toward school choice will not affect “desegregation efforts” in the public school system.
To prove that they are indeed making a difference in the social justice movement, the schools will be expected to provide a “community impact analysis” to showcase their efforts and impact in this area.
This analysis will be mandatory for charters seeking federal funding and must be presented upon application. Ignoring that black and Hispanic students are the majority in many charter schools already, this will enforce the creation of “demographic projections” that will be compared to local public schools. These projections will eventually lead to greater emphasis on race or ethnicity rather than on the individual students.
Politicizing classrooms by forcing “social justice” agendas on students should not be a priority in education. Racial agendas inherent in doctrines like critical race theory do nothing but hurt students. All that matters to the Department of Education and this administration is pushing their poisonous agenda and captivating the minds of the next generation.
Parents Want School Choice
This comes at a time when school choice is gaining supporters across the nation. As horrifying reports from public schools become more common, parents are desiring a better education for their kids.
Unfortunately, this administration is proving that they are determined to ensure school choice will never be a reality – at least during this presidency. This proposal will satisfy teachers unions by taking advantage of families who want more opportunities for their children.
The numbers back this. Teachers unions and government schools are threatened by the recent upswing of support for school choice and the move toward charter schools, and they will protect what they have at all costs — even if it harms young Americans in the process.
According to National Review, 75 percent of Americans are supportive of parents getting the final say in where their children go to school. That belief is shared by 86 percent of Republicans, 65 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of independents, 83 percent of blacks, and 77 percent of Hispanics.
Meanwhile, public-school attendance decreased 3.3 percent in 2020-2021, while charter school attendance grew 7.1 percent.
The demand for charter schools is high. The Hill reports that in New York City alone, there is a charter school waiting list of 50,000 children.
While charters aren’t perfect, they’ve allowed children from low-income situations to have the opportunity to go to a school that is higher performing and offers more opportunities than public schools.
If the Biden administration really wanted to help “underprivileged” children, why block them from going to a better school to equip themselves with richer opportunities in life? If it goes into effect, this proposal could cripple the spread of charter schools even though they often offer a higher quality education than their public school counterparts.
Allowing new school guidelines to put politics above the needs of students is despicable. Parents should fight against this proposal and work to ensure their children’s education comes first.
