Parents send their children to school with the expectation that they will learn the basics such as reading, writing, and math. Parents also expect that their children will be safe in school and learn from teachers who are personable yet professional. Those expectations are not controversial at all. At least they shouldn’t be.

A high school teacher in Washington State has made headlines for marking a student’s test answer as wrong for answering the question correctly. The Seattle student marked “true” on a test question that asked if only women could become pregnant. Just a few years ago, this question wouldn’t be a test question, and a person who believes men can become pregnant wouldn’t be a teacher. Times have rapidly changed.

Fast-forward to 2023. If a student believes that only women can become pregnant, not only will that student fail the quiz, but he will also be ridiculed and receive accusations of transphobia from his teacher.

As public school students continue to fall behind on the basics while facing violent situations in school and learning from teachers with questionable beliefs and behaviors, parents are increasingly searching for better educational options.

Many parents turned to homeschooling during the COVID pandemic and didn’t go back. The educational cartel will have people believing that homeschoolers are in danger because their progress isn’t tracked or because the lack of exposure to other kids will ruin a homeschooled child forever. The reality is that homeschooled children often perform better than public schooled children on tests that measure academic performance. Homeschool parents are intentional about the people their children are exposed to. This teaches children to interact with people of all ages.

Red states across the country have either supported or passed school choice legislation that will allow the money to follow the child. This creates opportunities for children who are stuck at a failing school. While the Left’s knees shake at the thought of accountability finally coming, some conservatives oppose school choice because government money will always come with strings attached. It will be important for state legislators to include homeschool and private school parents in the legislation conversation. Having these parties involved will ensure that all concerns are met and a strong bill is presented.

Education will continue to be a hot topic in the political arena as both sides argue over what is best for America’s children (although one side does what is best for the teachers union). As homeschooling becomes more popular, we will begin to see more calls for the regulation of homeschooling. And as school choice legislation is passed, we will begin to see calls for equity, putting private school standards at risk.

One thing is clear: Parents are fed up with what they see in public schools. From gender ideology indoctrination to the continuing decline of academics, public school parents are coming to the conclusion that public school is not their only option anymore.