Republicans Make Schools the Latest Front in Culture Wars

In November, Glenn Youngkin got elected governor of Virginia in part by pledging to “stand up for parents” in fights with educators, inspiring Republicans across the U.S. to introduce legislation that would restrict conversations on gender, sexual orientation, and race in schools. And with an eye to this fall’s midterm elections, they’re taking a page from a Texas abortion measure that encourages lawsuits against people who help terminate a pregnancy, with provisions that would deputize parents to make sure educators don’t step out of line. “It came from the Covid era when a lot of learning came home, and parents started seeing what’s going on in our schools,” says Florida Representative Joe Harding.

Lawmakers in at least seven states have introduced such measures, often including provisions allowing parents to stop lessons, suppress books, or sue districts and administrators. Harding introduced a bill on Jan. 11 intended to prohibit classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity “that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is backing a measure that would ban lessons that cause a student “discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin.” Texas and Missouri are exploring “Bill of Rights” laws for parents that would let them file complaints about schools. Youngkin has opened a hotline for parental grievances.