Virginia School district’s landmark policy will allow students to skip school to protest

(Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

A public school district in Virginia has implemented a new policy to go into effect late next month that will grant every junior high and high school student one excused half-day absence per year for “civic engagement activities.”

The policy hasn’t been well received by conservatives who worry that it’s nothing but a conduit for left-wing political activism and indoctrination.

Case in point (take note of the sign):

“While FCPS provides opportunities for students to get involved in the life of their communities and beyond, there are occasional opportunities for students to actively participate and share their voices and perspectives within the metropolitan Washington, DC area,” Fairfax County Public Schools announced this week.

Fairfax County is a suburb of the wider Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

And so with this in mind, the announcement continued, the district has decided to grant “secondary students a partial school day absence per year to participate in such activities.”

The statement didn’t actually define the activities, though according to reports they’ll most likely consist of marches, sit-ins, and meetings with legislators. Political stuff, basically.

“The biggest issue that needed to be addressed was the impact that one additional day of student absence on the absenteeism rate of the school which could impact a school’s accreditation status. The half (rather than the full) day resolves that potential problem,” the statement concluded.

Now, is there any legitimacy to the complaints by conservatives that this policy will likely lead to a promotion of solely left-wing causes? Perhaps.

“[M]ost major student-led movements today — whether opposition to gun violence, or calls for government action to address climate change — tend to promote causes regarded as left-leaning,” The Washington Post reported, citing data from Thai Jones, a lecturer at Columbia University who studies “radical social movements.”

“Plus, people who call themselves conservatives probably do still count respecting authority — staying in school — as a crucial and central tenet of the social order,” Jones himself said.

The problem with student-led political activism, some conservatives might argue, is that young, naive children typically don’t actually understand the issues.

Take internationally recognized left-wing activist Greta Thunberg, who’s taken a very extended absence from school to travel the world and lecture people about how the Earth will soon face a “mass extinction event” unless radical, economically impossible climate change policies are promptly enacted.

Or take 18-year-old activist David Hogg, who initially began his journey into left-wing activism by advocating for gun control — but has since become a radical zealot who rants and raves on social media about the so-called “patriarchy,” among other things.

Look (*Language warning):

As seen in the above tweet, he also believes the Earth faces an imminent “extinction event.”

However, it’s not clear that a few select cases of young boys and girls being seduced by radicalism justifies blocking other kids from partaking in the political process. Keep in mind that every child is slated to one day grow up to be an adult and must therefore eventually learn about the civics process and how it works.

The issue, therefore, may not be a matter of allowing or preventing “civic engagement activities” but rather one of ensuring that children who do partake in such activities are well-informed and actually understand the issues that concern them.

But standing as an obstacle to genuinely well-informed students are an army of already radicalized left-wing teachers and administrative officials who in recent times have been caught:

  • Presenting sexually explicit materiel to kids.
  • Telling students that Americans who appreciate the Confederate flag’s complicated history are “white trash.”
  • Attempting to disband student clubs that are pro-America.
  • Spreading lies about America’s duly elected president.
  • Assaulting pro-Trump students.
  • Promoting pseudo math.
  • Etc.

More examples of public school indoctrination may be heard about below.

Via the Heritage Institute:

Via Fox News:

Via the Academy of Ideas:

“Our children deserve schools that train them in the proper development and use of concepts; that facts and principles cannot be evaded with impunity; and that their own unaided reason, rather than any majority’s opinion or anyone’s emotional reaction, is the only means whereby they can discover the truth,” Peter McAllister, a former mathematics and social studies teacher wrote last year for the Cato Institute.

“And our children deserve schools that demonstrate that there are objective moral values whose realization can lead to a successful, productive, and happy life.”

But it’s hard to empower children with such notions when instead they’re being taught the exact opposite.

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.
Vivek Saxena

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles