The Civil Rights Issue of Our Time

“Public education is a house on fire and parents need to get their children out Now!” – Alex Newman (Author and journalist)

Deceptive marketing, and the false claim of an urgent need to protect abortion rights in New York State, proved effective for proponents of Proposal 1. Despite valiant bipartisan efforts to defeat it, almost 62% of New Yorkers voted in favor of the Democrat-driven amendment.

The ramifications of passing Prop 1 will further outrage parents already outraged by mask mandates, school closures, drag queen story hours, gender ideology, and critical race theory curriculum being taught to their children.  Well-intentioned New Yorkers, blindsided into voting in favor of the amendment, will be rudely awakened as they begin to experience the real-life consequences of the amended law.

Enacting this constitutional amendment has unequivocally opened Pandora’s box. Due to the vagueness and broad language of this law, courts are likely to be inundated with cases to determine its scope and extent, and how the ruling relates to existing child protective laws. Parents have legitimate cause for concern. Judges can now render decisions on whether a minor-aged child can consent to gender-affirming care including social transitioning, hormone replacement therapy, puberty blockers, and sex reassignment surgery without parental knowledge or consent. They can also render decisions on whether to permit biological male athletes to compete in the gender category of their choice and whether they can occupy girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, and dorm rooms. 

From the perspective of civil rights attorney Bobbie Anne Cox, this change to the state constitution provides a “base” for lawmakers to pass laws that “would not normally pass constitutional muster.”  Bills likely to now pass are Senate Bill 2584A / Assembly Bill 4604 requiring mandatory K-12 Sexuality Education aligned with National Sex Education Standards, and Senate Bill S762A / A276B which provides treatment for sexually transmitted diseases to minors without a parent’s or guardian’s knowledge or consent.

Parental rights are undoubtedly in jeopardy under the new amendment. Those who oppose existing school policies that indoctrinate, sexualize, and radicalize children are not among the constitutionally protected and may be discriminated against in the name of “non-discrimination.”  Unfortunately, individual statutes can be repealed but amending the state constitution is a daunting task that requires the approval of two different state Legislatures and a majority of popular votes. Reversing the damage done could take years.

The silver lining is that dissatisfaction with failing public schools spreading a “mind virus of gender ideology” and alienating children from their families and their values, has given rise to the national school choice movement that is sweeping the country. More advancement in school choice has been made in the last 3 years than in the last 3 decades.  As per, Alli Aldis from the non-profit “EdChoice,” more than 1 million US students in 33 states, Washington D.C, and Puerto Rico, are partaking in 75 school choice programs which include school vouchers, educational savings accounts (ESA’s), tax-credit scholarships, and refundable tax credits. In only three years, 13 states have established universal school choice programs mostly implemented through educational savings accounts (ESA’s) which “follow the child” and can be used for private schools, faith-based schools, homeschooling, online schooling, or micro schooling.

Universal school policies allow K-12 parents to decide on the best learning environment for their children and increase educational opportunities for students from all races and socioeconomic backgrounds regardless of their zip codes.  Author and school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis describes school choice as, “a rising tide that lifts all boats.” In Florida, where all K-12 students are now eligible for Educational Savings Accounts, they moved from the bottom of the list to the top of the list in reading and math proficiency as per the Nation’s Report Card (NAEP). 

School choice is the civil rights issue of our time; champions of civil rights should support it. In New York City, which has the highest per pupil expenditure in the nation despite declining enrollment and test scores, school choice is a money saver and could be a win for taxpayers. It offers a solution for parents who don’t want to be forced to send their children to schools teaching curriculum antithetical to their family values and the principles of liberty.  Most importantly it’s a win for our children who are being used as agents for social change and a market to profit from being educated. As per national polls, 70% of the public is in favor of school choice. Homeschool enrollment in New York grew by 178% and charter school enrollment grew by 125% in the last 10 years as reported by The Empire Center for Public Policy. We may have lost the battle to defeat Prop 1, but all things indicate we can win the war for educational freedom if we unite on the issue and force our politicians to embrace it. Let’s fight, fight, fight for school choice!

For more information about school choice go to:

American Federation for Children  https://www.schoolchoicefacts.org/
The Parent Revolution by Corey DeAngelis  https://a.co/d/ci8xl9y
EdChoice  https://www.edchoice.org/school-choice/what-is-school choice/

Elena Chin is Mom’s for Liberty Queens County Chapter Chair. Email Elena at moms4libertyqueensny@gmail.com