America’s public K-12 schools should prioritize learning, merit, transparency and civic pride – and when it comes to decisions that affect the education, health and moral development of their children, parents should have the final word.
The United States Constitution says nothing about education. Education was certainly not one of the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government and is, by definition, an area of responsibility reserved to the states and to the people, providing that states do not discriminate in providing access to education.
It is time for Utah to take a more serious look at the responsibility they have for protecting Utah families from the corrupt advances of unelected, politically-motivated special interest groups who have infiltrated the U.S. Department of Education, the National Education Association, State School Boards, etc..
Utah’s COVID response revealed a troubling allegiance, on the part of Utah’s governor, to the groups wielding money and power in our country. Not only did our Utah school systems champion Critical Race Theory and embrace DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) practices, we forced our children to wear masks in order to qualify for federal dollars (lots of federal dollars).
Mask mandates, vaccine mandates, failed efforts at remote learning, and lockdowns undermined the education experience of an entire generation. Our taxes that fund our education continue to rise without a noticeable correlating rise in performance in academic proficiency. It’s time to put Utah’s students first in Utah’s education system.
Today I’m releasing my policy vision for five areas where I think we can improve our education system:
- We need to prioritize academics first.
- We need to protect conscience and religious beliefs in schools.
- We need to restore schools to their limited and proper role.
- We need to respect the family’s unique and comprehensive role.
- We need to reject partnerships, programs, policies, and practices that exploit children.
I have published a more specifics on my website, and if you care about improving our k-12 education system in Utah, I invite you to review my plan to get our education system back on track.
I am confident that if we restore limited government in the classroom our children will have more opportunity to reach their full potential.
Thanks so much!
Phil Lyman