Advocates Rally Outside Of White House Against Biden’s Attack On Charter Schools
Advocates rallied outside the White House to protest the Biden Administrations recent policies attacking charter schools.
Charter school advocates have come together to protest outside of the white house. This is in direct response to the Biden Administration’s proposal to adjust CSP grant requirements which will affect charter school funding. The protestors are mostly made up of Black and Hispanic minority students, parents, and teachers who see this as a direct attack on school choice options for minorities who do not wish to be forced into a struggling public education system.
Charter schools operate much like public schools and do receive some government funding. But instead of basing their student body off of location, these institutes of learning operate independently and offer families affordable alternatives to their area’s designated school district. Often seen as a compromise between private and public education, charter schools have grown in popularity for providing more education options to minorities and low-income families who cannot homeschool.
Despite this, The Biden Administration is working to further regulate charter schools in the name of “diversity.” Biden’s commitment to equity and inclusion in education was written into executive order 13985. This gave the federal government more power over education funds and the United States Department of Education recently announced that it will be awarding grants based on these criteria. But despite the intent of the measure, minority and low-income students may actually find less inclusion as charter schools are directly targeted by the administration in their pursuit to control educational content.
The Biden Administration supports teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) and other race-based culturally responsive training. These controversial lessons claim that Americans are not created equal and that the country is systematically racist. Minorities who oppose this kind of rhetoric often turn to charter schools as an alternative to public schools that are now being rewarded for bringing identity politics into classrooms.
Now that the United States Department of Education is being directed by the Biden Administration to further scrutinize charter schools and how they are funded, advocates in favor of school choice and charter school alternatives are protesting outside the White House and the office of the Department of Education. They are opposed to new measures which require each school to submit a “community impact analysis,” and partner with local public schools. Furthermore, they feel they feel they are being forced to gain approval from the federal government before being allowed to charge tuition costs for-profit.
Charter schools that do not comply will not be eligible for federal grant money. Whether they will be allowed to operate or not without adhering to the new guidelines is uncertain, but regardless many communities are outraged at this intrusion on educational freedom. Parents who pull their children from failing public schools do not wish for more government regulation. They are seeking educational options free from programs, initiatives, and executive orders that place constraints on learning material which is likely to hinder children’s ability to have fun learning.
Politics have entered the schooling system at alarming rates. The public education system is currently overrun with multiple political battles. Now The Biden Administration is bringing those issues into charter schools and communities they serve, the people are bringing their grievances to Biden’s front door.
