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Important Questions for School Board Candidates

The April 1998 Education Reporter included a comprehensive questionnaire designed for distribution to candidates running for local school boards. Given the recent successful efforts by parents and concerned citizens to replace liberal school board members, now may be an opportune time to provide readers with an updated version of that questionnaire in a format they can download and use as they see fit.

Just this past May, conservative school board members were elected by fed-up voters to ten seats in school districts in and around Fort Worth, Texas. Three incumbents were replaced by candidates who were demanding transparency, an end to forced masking, and an end to the teaching of CRT. They were hardly the only examples, and these victories highlight the frustration parents feel at the refusal of the teachers' unions, school boards, and school administrators to respond to their concerns.

Below is a model school board candidate questionnaire that can be used to query local candidates during this fall's election cycle and into 2023.

For a printable copy, click here.

School Board Candidate Questionnaire
 

  • Candidate Name:
    Email Address:
    School District:
    Phone #:
 

  • Please indicate your position on the following issues by checking yes or no,
    and provide any additional thoughts or information on the back of this sheet.
 
 
   ACADEMICS:
 
  1. Do you believe that instruction in basic skills such as reading, grammar, spelling, and math, should take precedence over the potentially inappropriate subject matter of sexuality and racial issues? ___ Yes ___ No

  2. Do you believe in teaching reading exlusively using intensive, systematic phonics? ___ Yes ___ No

  3. Will you oppose the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and gender identity ideology, including the "grooming" of children without parental knowledge or consent? ___ Yes ___ No

  4. Do you reject the 1619 Project and all social studies curricula that demonize America, its achievements, its Constitution, and which teach that America is systemically racist from its founding? ___ Yes ___ No

  5. Do you support the teaching of abstinence-only in "health curricula" if age appropriate, including that it is the preferred choice for unmarried teenagers and the only truly effective way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases? ___ Yes ___ No

  6. In conjunction with number 5, do you also support teaching young people about the dangers of illegal drugs and alcohol? ___ Yes ___ No
 
   POLICY:
 
  1. Do you believe control of education belongs at the local, grassroots level, and that federal and state departments of education should take a back seat? ___ Yes ___ No

  2. Would you support an effort to abolish the U.S. Department of Education? ___ Yes ___ No

  3. Do you reject Common Core State Standards and would you be willing to replace them with standards that promote objective truth and genuine learning? ___ Yes ___ No

  4. Do you oppose school-based health clinics (not the traditional nurse's offices), which may provide medications such as puberty blockers and birth control products, vaccinations, abortion referrals, and which may perform physical and psychological examinations, all without parental consent or knowledge? ___ Yes ___ No

  5. Do you oppose the collection of personal student and family data through various means, including intrusive questionnaires, and the subsequent electronic storage and dissemination of that personal data? ___ Yes ___ No
 
   PARENTS' RIGHTS:
 
  1. Do you support the fundamental right of parents to direct the education and upbringing of their children? ___ Yes ___ No

  2. Do you believe that the transparency of curricula and library materials and in-school programs should be school board/district policy, including allowing parents to inspect and review such materials? ___ Yes ___ No

  3. Do you believe parental consent should be required prior to giving questionnaires dealing with sexuality, personal attitudes and feelings, family information, as well as consent for any type of physical or emotional "care" of students? ___ Yes ___ No

  4. Do you support school choice, including the right of parents to homeschool their children? ___ Yes ___ No
 

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