On National Parents’ Day, we get to honor and celebrate the role of parents in raising children. Unfortunately, a troubling trend is reshaping American education under the guise of “parental rights.” In Florida, for example, a single parent’s complaint recently led to the removal of Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” from high school shelves. This incident is not isolated – it’s part of a larger movement threatening the very foundations of our diverse, democratic society.
Parenting is a unique role that requires us to cultivate self-sacrifice, humility, solidarity, and hope. It often inspires us to demand the best not just for our own children but for all children. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, our children exist within an “inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Whether our children can thrive depends on whether other children are thriving too.
Yet, this shared pursuit of a better future is weaponized to undermine our freedoms. A vocal minority of parents, often aligned with conservative groups like Moms for Liberty, use the idea of “parental rights” as justification to control not only what their children read in the library or learn in the classroom but all children. Some parents believe their “parental rights” allow them to dictate how other people’s children will be raised, educated, and cared for.
As we celebrate National Parents’ Day, let’s reclaim the true meaning of parental rights. If we invest in our children, and all children, then the democratic society we share can continue to flourish. Parenting can be difficult, and so can democracy, but we must strive each day to get it right.” – Bryan J. Henry, founder of Cypress Families for Public Schools
In some of the largest states, like Texas and Florida, we’ve seen an alarming increase in book bans and curriculum censorship. Often, a single parent’s objection results in all children losing access to valuable educational resources. This begs the question: What about the parental rights of everyone else? Why have “parental rights” too often become synonymous with conservative Christian demands that curriculums teaching the truth about climate change or history be rooted out and condemned?
Many conservative “parental rights” advocates justify their demands by manipulating the definition of religious liberty. They may object to a novel that celebrates LGBTQIA+ equality simply because it is incompatible with their religious beliefs. As a parent and educator, I find this frustrating and alarming.
It does not make sense for one parent, or faction of parents, to decide what other people’s children can read or learn. It is also deeply un-American to violate the diversity and pluralism that has long characterized American society. In the United States, a single political ideology or faith tradition should not be given primacy over others in public schools or the public sphere.
The only belief system we should promote above others without apology is democracy itself. The current “parental rights” movement, driven by authoritarian impulses, threatens the rights of parents and children who don’t have a conservative Christian worldview. Liberty and equality are being replaced with control and supremacy.
Parenting can be difficult and so can democracy. But we must strive each day to get it right. As we celebrate National Parents’ Day, let’s reclaim the true meaning of parental rights. If we invest in our children, and all children, then the democratic society we share can continue to flourish. Attempting to use “parental rights” to silence other parents betrays not only the solidarity we should have with them but also the civic obligation to instill in the next generation the values of democracy. In 2024, parents must become fierce defenders of American democracy so that all children can have the opportunity to thrive in a flourishing society that values everyone’s inherent dignity.
Bryan J. Henry is a Professor of Political Science at Lone Star College in Houston, Texas, and the author of Civic Education at a Crossroads. He is also the founder of Cypress Families for Public Schools, a non-partisan public education advocacy group.
