Parental choice, local control only for those who agree with GOP

Iowa Republicans claim to support parental choice and local control. But it appears parents and localities are only free to choose to agree with Republican orthodoxy. Parents can choose to put their kids in private Christian schools but they cannot choose gender affirming care for their kids. Private schools do not have to accept special needs children nor do they have their curriculum approved by the state. Public schools have to do both. That’s not fair. Republicans say providing tax dollars to these Christian schools advances parental choice. But do you really think they would send tax dollars to a private school that was Muslim or Satanist?

Likewise with local control. When school boards in places like Iowa City make choices that Republicans dislike, Republicans outlaw those choices. They even want to tell Johnson County how to pick their supervisors. Like parental choice, local control is only allowed when it agrees with Republican orthodoxy. “Choosing” anything else is illegal.

Republicans want to whitewash history. Teachers can’t mention slavery because it might make white kids feel bad. And teachers can’t explain that Rosa parks was not allowed to pick her seat on a bus because she was Black. The ban on topics that discuss sexual orientation apparently would make it illegal to mention that Donald and Melania Trump are married because that would “out” their sexual orientation, which is forbidden. Republicans are against fairness, honest history, true parental choice, and local control. Big Brother is here.

Rex Clemmensen

Iowa City