Newton Public Schools' Parents Rights Bill: A Case Study in Censorship and Regressive Education Policy

         Across the United States, an insurgence of so-called “parents’’ rights” bills, at both the local, state, and federal level have been introduced: at best, these bills create informed consent practices, allowing parents to opt-in and opt-out their children of programs such as health and sex ed. At worst, these bills advance book bans, forcibly out queer students, ban the discussion of antiracism (often euphemized as “Critical Race Theory,” a collegiate-level discipline of Critical Theory, which addresses how laws, social dynamics, and media are formed and informed by conceptions of race and ethnicity), prohibit discussion of menstruation in health classes, and ban trans students from sports and bathrooms consistent with their gender identity. Many of these measures advance oversight committees, often composed of conservative or right-leaning parents, who can monitor and regulate material being discussed in classrooms. 

         On Tuesday, March 28th, hundreds of Newton residents, including students, parents, and educators, attended a Newton School Committee hearing, with over 250 articulating their perspectives on a divisive petition filed by voting-eligible Newton residents, demanding the initiation of an “Academic Principles Advisory Committee,” which would serve to rectify what the petitioners describe as a “shift away from a focus on academic excellence” in the Newton Public Schools. The petition, accumulating 151 valid signatories (168 total), requested that the proposed Advisory Committee contain at least five members who were signatories of the petition. The petition states that the Advisory Committee would deliver recommendations, revisions, and advice to the district, in alignment with the Newton Public School’s “core values.” On face value, the scenario reads as a good-faith albeit possibly overbearing attempt for parents and concerned citizens to participate in the education of Newton Public School students.

         But the testimonies of those in opposition to the bill, numbering well over 200, tells a very different story of this petition, as does a brief look at ImproveNPS’ (the education advocacy group behind the petition) goals and values. Amongst the values listed by ImproveNPS are:

• “be committed to academic excellence and meritocratic standards of achievement,”

• “foster intellectual and viewpoint diversity where students are allowed the space to be creative and explore ideas without intolerance or groupthink,” and

• “operate with the notion that objective truth exists, that it is discoverable, and that research must be untainted by any political agenda when informing school policy, culture and curriculum.” 

         Many of these values are euphemistically worded: groupthink, a phrase which describes a psychological phenomenon of conformity, has become a dog whistle for condemning so-called left-wing ideas, including Critical Race Theory (CRT) and so called “gender ideology.” Meritocracy, likewise, is often used by pundits and individuals to rebuke the idea that there are structural impediments for minoritized and/or racialized people, and to strip marginalized people of support meant to create parity  between those marginalized and those with privilege. 

         The two programs which drew particular attention from ImproveNPS are the Dover Legacy Scholars program, and the Calculus Project, two initiatives designed to offer support and resources to students of color (and, in some instances, low-income white students). The Dover Legacy Scholars program has also been the target of conservative non-profit group Parents Defending Education, a group which promotes the discontinuation of curricula with "emphasis on students' group identities: race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and gender,” often categorically denying the existence of systemic racism and endorsing book banning, according to SourceWatch. Their complaint argued that there was discrimination on the basis of race, against white students. The petition also objected to the Newton Public School’s Statement of Values & Commitment to Racial Equity (pictured below), arguing that a “color-blind” approach should be used in lieu of a commitment to rectifying historical racism, particularly the racism perpetuated in predominantly white towns and schools. 

         The confluence of these two complaints reveals a concerning emergence of culture war-esque moral panic around progressive curricula in Massachusetts, parodying ideas promoted in legislature by Republicans across the US, like the so-called “Parents’ Bill of Rights'' which uses “parents’ rights” as a means of advancing conservatism, privatized education, antiqueerness, and whitewashed history in public schools. This intention was reflected by a statement read by the Newton South High School’s ACLU chapter, reading: 

“Although this campaign presents itself as supporting equity, the Boston Globe found that last November, the parents who signed to create the new advisory panel filed a separate letter to the district to revise its racial equity policy, to erase the focus on race altogether…This petition seeks to deprive rather than provide, attacking the very spirit of Newton itself… This petition inexplicably pins the woes of NPS on the existence of antiracism efforts and support programs. It pits academic excellence against inclusivity, when in reality, those go hand in hand. Ask any child of the NPS, and we would all tell you how we tangibly witness the benefits of a school system that, while imperfect, is consistently striving to become more inclusive. We firmly believe that we all move forward when we ensure no one is left behind. Thank you, and vote against this petition.”

         Holistically considered, it is evident that the “just asking questions” “good faith” concerns of the parents seems to be an attempt, like those seen nationwide, to give undue oversight and power to a minority of parents, such that they could manipulate curricula to avoid reckoning with contentious or difficult material and history. The defiant opposition towards BIPOC-specific programming illuminates the limits of equality, ignoring that there are structural barriers for marginalized and minoritized students in accessing higher education—stressing the need for programs advancing academic equity. 

         Those who spoke against the petition cite two primary rationale: One, that the petitioners should use the same means of democratic redress as other groups—voting for the School Committee members, and making recommendations to the School Committee—and two, that the programs that ImproveNPS and the parents behind the petition object to are crucial supports in advancing equity and diversity in the Newton Public Schools, such as affinity spaces and mentorship programs. Students as young as fourth grade took the stand to advocate for affinity spaces and culturally competent education, with one fourth grader praising the Franklin Elementary Rainbow Pride Group for helping him “express [his] feelings and interact with people… and talk about ways that we can be inclusive to everyone no matter what…” Another fourth grader, in favor of voting down the petition, said, “If our teachers did not allow us to talk about issues like racism, then we wouldn't be well educated and understand all different perspectives and our history.”

         In a statement cosigned by hundreds of Newton educators, high school history teacher David Bedar called for a dismissal of the petition, categorically endorsing the antiracist teaching model promoted by the Newton Public Schools: 

“I am reading this on behalf of the several hundred Newton educators who signed on in support of this statement… We are here because we reject, one, the implication that more equitable schools are less excellent, and two, the implicit lack of trust in educators' professional judgment. As Newton educators, we understand that equity and academic excellence are not mutually exclusive, but mutually reinforcing. These values which we believe are shared by the majority of Newton parents, are better protected by our democratically elected School Committee, rather than the unelected body proposed in this petition, which would not be accountable to the community in any way….Academic excellence has been and always will be a priority for us. This petition is rooted in inherent distrust of educators and their professional capabilities and their ideological intentions. We reject these assumptions, and urge the committee to reject this petition.”

         Across the myriad of speeches delivered by anti-petition parents, it was made unequivocally clear that a local majority of students, educators, and parents opposed the creation of the Advisory Committee, with repeated emphasis on the educational value of diversity and inclusion, and the necessity of accurate historical narratives. In response to white parents who oppose Critical Race Theory and DEI work, School Committee member Tamika Olszewski stated that having an unpopular opinion does not make one marginalized: “To be marginalized, to be clear, is something vastly different. It's to be seen before you even walk into a space, it's to be judged before you open your mouth, it's to be evaluated and found lacking before you take a test, before you're recommended to move into an additional class or an advanced placement.” In a concurring opinion, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller stated that she entirely rejects the notion of “An unelected, unrepresented group getting an outsized, privileged voice in how we do our work.” 

         Newton South senior Ari Zenen (full quote at bottom) locates this rhetoric in this national context: 

“This is how facism begins, first with the control of education and information under a ‘protective’ guise that appears to conform to the majority opinion, which then allows for the demonization and eventual persecution of those perceived to be outside the national group. In my opinion these measures need to be stopped early, lest we see a new wave of nationalist facism in the United States.”

         For the past few years, I have watched idly as towns, districts, and states advanced bills designed to whitewash and erase history—not only ceasing to reckon with America’s racist and settler-colonial history, but prohibiting the teaching of the resilience and achievements of Black, Brown, queer, and disabled Americans. But, as these sentiments pervade supposedly progressive communities like Newton, and yes, like Needham, I am finding myself reflecting on the notion that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Attacks on educators, on families, and on students are escalating: in a year with dozens of school shootings, student mental health crises, and academic budget cuts for public schools, it is crucial that we name the attacks on antiracism and inclusion not only as misguided, but also dangerous and white supremacist. Newton’s outstanding display of solidarity with teachers and the antiracist initiatives of the district are a glimmer of hope in a desperate political landscape. 

Sources: 

Newton School Committee Rejects Petition To Overturn DEI In Schools

Newton School Committee Unanimously Votes Against Proposed Academic Principles Advisory Committee

Newton North High's student mentorship program latest target of national group

‘Parents’ rights’: Republicans wage education culture war as 2024 looms

Full Quote from Ari Zeren:

       “My name is Ari Zeren. At south I am a Captain of the Mock Trial team, the founder and leader of Learning the Left, and an actor with South Stage. My immediate reaction to learning about the petition filed by Newton parents was one of concern. It's fairly obvious that around the country there have been many reactionary movements by conservative parents attempting to take control of the education system of the United States. I mean the week before House Republicans passed H.R. 5, a bill explicitly aimed at attacking liberal curriculum. As for the consequences I think they are extremely serious. It’s not an unfair comparison to make between what is happening right now with the banning of books etc. and with Nazi Germany in the 1930s. This is how facism begins, first with the control of education and information under a “protective” guise that appears to conform to the majority opinion, which then allows for the demonization and eventual prosecution of those perceived to be outside the national group. In my opinion these measures need to be stopped early, lest we see a new wave of nationalist facism in the United States.

         I don’t want a parent controlling my education, especially one representing a minority of the population. We have Democratic institutions in order to facilitate as fair and communal a process for deciding the curriculum of our students, and in Newton that Democratic process has resulted in a curriculum that reckons truthfully with history and the current moment, and understands the science behind diversity, equity and inclusion education. If someone wants to see change in their community, they should do so through democratic channels, not by trying to create a shadow committee. I’m very thankful that so many people came out for the hearing and glad that the school committee rejected the proposal unanimously. I do agree that NPS could certainly improve in various things, but we absolutely don’t need unqualified people with an agenda trying to tell us what to do.”