By Rawpixel.com @ Shutterstock.com
Parents are being fed misinformation about the National Gun Control Walkout, writes Julie Gunlock in The Federalist. According to the National School Walkout website, the real mission of the walkout is to demand Congress pass more restrictive gun laws: “Students and allies are organizing the national school walkout to demand Congress pass legislation … Congress must take meaningful action … and pass federal gun reform legislation.”
The children walking out of the classroom on March 14th won’t be spending the time in quiet prayer or reflection. Instead, school kids (even those in elementary school) are going to be used as props by professional anti-gun activists to push for specific legislation.
Some schools are even aiding in the effort by coordinating with the walkout organizers, providing “safe spaces” for kids who participate in the walkout, promoting the event on school Facebook and Twitter accounts, and allowing school buses to transport kids to and from gun control rallies.
Considering that many public schools are helping to rally more kids to the cause and are even supplying school resources and personnel time to the effort, tax payers should ask: Is this an acceptable use of school funds? More importantly, why is a publicly funded school supporting one side of a very contentious and complex constitutional matter?”
Students absolutely have the right to demonstrate and make their views known, but their schools shouldn’t be weighing in by treating their walkout absences differently from any other, or worse, actively aiding a political cause by providing logistical and transportation help.
This incident highlights why school choice should be a priority: in a pluralistic and sometimes contentious republic like the United States, there can be no “public education” without controversy. The solution is to allow parents to choose educational experiences for their kids that align with, instead of fight, their family values.
Read more from Ms. Gunlock here.
