[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 184 (Wednesday, October 20, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7114-S7115]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               Education

  Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, I come to the floor today to talk 
about America's education system.
  As a result of the pandemic, parents have had a front-row seat to 
their kids' education. Parents are now engaged with their kids' schools 
much more than ever before. Many parents have had to make tough 
decisions about a number of things during the pandemic, but especially 
about their children's education.
  Yet parental involvement, I believe, is a good thing for kids in our 
schools. The more parental involvement, the better. Parents deserve a 
say in what their kids learn and how best to learn it.
  But all across America, school boards and teachers unions and city 
councils have been outraged to see parents involved as they have been.
  Many parents are furious right now. In many cases, they have found 
out their kids were spending more time on liberal ideology than they 
were on science or on math.
  Earlier this year, the State of California proposed teaching math--
hard to believe, but this is what they said--from a social justice 
perspective--math from a social justice perspective.
  Parents, appropriately, were furious, and the proposal was not 
rejected completely, but just postponed until next year.
  Oregon now allows students to graduate--graduate--without proving 
they are proficient in reading, in writing, or in math.
  San Francisco schools spent the entire last year closed, yet the San 
Francisco school board had spare time to propose changing the name of 
Abraham Lincoln High School. Kids are not in school, but the school 
board had plenty of time to consider and propose changing the name of 
Abraham Lincoln High School.
  Well, parents, again, were enraged and this proposal was dropped.
  It is very obvious why so many parents all across the country are so 
angry right now. They work hard. They pay their taxes. And what they 
see day in and day out are Democratic politicians hurting their kids' 
future, getting in the way of the education that parents believe their 
children need.
  Last week, we saw even more proof. The Department of Education 
published the National Assessment of Educational Progress. It comes out 
every 5 years. It was time. It is the Nation's report card. This year's 
report card shows test scores in math and in reading have plummeted. 
This was the first time these scores have dropped in 50 years.
  The lesson is obvious: We are spending too much time away from the 
things that students ought to be spending their time on. We need to 
spend less time on ideology, more time on education of the basics--real 
knowledge, real skills.

[[Page S7115]]

  Many school boards across the country refuse to listen. In fact, the 
National School Boards Association complained to the Biden 
administration about angry parents. Now the Attorney General is 
treating angry parents like criminals. The Attorney General of the 
United States is deciding that angry parents are to be treated like 
criminals. Attorney General Garland has ordered Federal prosecutors to 
work with local police to form ``strategies for addressing threats 
against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.''
  The Department of Justice says it will form a task force on these 
alleged threats against school boards. The task force is going to 
include representatives from the Department's Criminal Division, from 
the National Security Division, the Civil Rights Division, and Federal 
prosecutors, as well as the FBI.
  Joe Biden is sending in the cavalry to school board meetings to focus 
on parents rather than focusing on the education the children need and 
deserve. He is sending the National Security Division after moms and 
dads because they are concerned about their children's education.
  After the Attorney General's order, I joined with 10 of my Republican 
colleagues and demanded a legal justification from Attorney General 
Garland. I still haven't received a response.
  We have also found out that Attorney General Garland has a family 
member who helps schools develop leftwing curriculum. The Attorney 
General's family member is helping schools developing leftwing 
curriculum. The Attorney General's son-in-law owns a company with 
millions and millions of dollars in government contracts--contracts by 
the Attorney General's son-in-law--contracts with schools all across 
America.
  Well, maybe it is a coincidence, and maybe it is not. Attorney 
General Garland needs to tell the American people whether this played a 
role in his decision to treat parents like criminals.
  Yet the problem is much bigger than the Attorney General of the 
United States. The problem is how Democrats treat and think about 
parents and working families.
  The former Governor of the State of Virginia said recently:

       I don't think parents should be telling schools what they 
     can teach.

  This is the former Governor of Virginia:

       I don't think parents should be telling schools what they 
     can teach.

  Last month, Senator Mike Braun asked the Secretary of Education about 
the role of parents in education. He asked if parents were ``the 
primary stakeholder'' in their kids' education.
  Secretary Cardona said this: ``They're an important stakeholder.''
  In other words, they are not the primary stakeholders. Parents are 
not the primary stakeholders.
  Is it any surprise so many parents are deciding to educate their 
children at home?
  So who does the Secretary of Education think is the primary educator 
of our children? The union bosses? Are they the primary educators of 
our children?
  Democrats act like kids are the property of the schools. And schools, 
of course, are the property--in the minds of the Democrats--of the 
teachers unions. Parents have every right to be upset with what is 
happening in the public schools all across this Nation. Parents have 
every right to demand real improvements.

  It is time for the Democrats to stop taking orders from the teachers 
unions and start listening to parents and to the students.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.