A Colorado ballot measure, Amendment 80, seeks to constitutionally protect parents' right to send their child to any school, including a private school, and also aims to create the right for parents to direct their child's education. This has raised questions about the potential impact on what and how students learn, as the provision follows a national movement of parents demanding changes in school curricula and libraries.
Empowering Parents or Undermining Educators?
Parental Influence on Education
The leaders behind Amendment 80, the conservative political nonprofit Advance Colorado Action, have declined to comment on the specifics of how the measure would allow parents to direct their child's education and the potential impact on schools and educators. However, they have denied that the provision would grant parents more authority over the kinds of lessons teachers present or the ways schools operate.Nonetheless, experts warn that introducing a constitutional right for parents to direct their child's education could open the door to a wave of lawsuits challenging homework assignments, the use of particular books, or even the presence of a gay teacher in the classroom. Kevin Welner, director of the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado, notes that it's impossible to predict how courts would interpret this new right and the consequences it could have for schools.Balancing Parental Involvement and Educator Expertise
Parents and education advocates like Ami Prichard, president of the Colorado Parent Teacher Association, see parents as key partners in their child's education, communicating with teachers and schools about what's happening at home and helping to make decisions. However, they also believe that parents must respect and trust the expertise of educators who are guiding students through the curriculum.Prichard worries that the ballot measure could destabilize classrooms and overwhelm teachers with input from outside the classroom, as parents who are "untrained in education" make decisions about the best curriculum. She sees a direct tie between Amendment 80 and the national parental rights movement, which has gained momentum in recent years as culture wars have divided teachers, parents, and school board members over issues like book bans and how to teach about race, history, and gender.Parental Rights or Classroom Chaos?
Some parents, like Yazmin Navarro, who is running for a State Board of Education seat, believe that parents' rights in schools are eroding, and they want more control over their child's education. Navarro argues that parents should have the "final say" on anything that happens with their child educationally, including being notified about minor incidents like a scraped knee, and having the ability to review curriculum before it reaches their child.However, Prichard warns that this approach would "throw our entire system into chaos" by taking away the rights of school boards and the State Board of Education to oversee curriculum and implement standards. She believes that this would be detrimental to the education system and ultimately harmful to students.As Colorado voters consider Amendment 80 on the November ballot, the debate over parental rights and the role of educators in the classroom continues to unfold, with high stakes for the future of education in the state.
