4 Reasons Parents Feel Sidelined by the Government Regarding the Upbringing of Their Children
Parents have always been the primary decision-makers for the upbringing of their children throughout America's history. Education, healthcare, religious values, and helping to direct a child's career path have been tasks good parents have always embraced historically.
Throughout history, the lines have been blurred regarding boys' and girls' sports participation, medication distribution at school, and the impartation of values. Various government organizations have slowly usurped the rights of parents and students, though the Trump administration has made an effort to correct this through various executive orders. Below are a few areas where parents feel sidelined by the government, and some helpful steps they can take to address the issues.
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1. Education
1. Education
Some of the decisions that have been made regarding what schools will teach, group activities in which students participate, and even sports have caused a great deal of concern among parents. Only 31 percent of eighth graders who were getting ready to enter high school performed proficiently or above, according to National Level Achievement Results. As for math, only 28 percent performed at or above proficient, according to National Level Achievement Results. Scores like these brought the Trump administration to the conclusion that returning all of the decisions regarding school curriculum to the state level would be a more efficient way to improve education outcomes for students, and that is why an executive order was signed regarding this action. On a more local level, parents can directly influence what curriculum schools choose and other school-related activities by getting involved with the school board and PTA meetings. Another choice parents have is to homeschool their children. Focus on the Family has a great deal of information about homeschooling.
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2. Sports
2. Sports
The hot-button issue of transgenders in sports has received a great deal of media attention lately. Though President Trump signed an executive order to ban transgenders from getting involved in girls and women's sports, not all schools are willing to enforce that mandate. According to the National Library of Medicine, men are usually stronger, more powerful, and faster than women of a similar age and at a similar point in their sports training. So, it has been argued that they have an unfair advantage over someone who is a woman from birth. Students and parents have chosen to peacefully protest the involvement of transgenders in sports. A New York High School staged a walkout last year, according to the New York Post. This is also another time when parents could speak out at school board or PTA meetings and may want to bring statistics to help support their views.
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3. Healthcare Issues at Schools
3. Healthcare Issues at Schools
Ironically, most schools still won't provide an aspirin to a student without parental consent, but there are some schools that will distribute condoms, according to Newsweek. There are also some school districts that push abortion as a "right," and in Wisconsin, some schools tell students that it is "a normal response to pregnancy," according to LiveAction. In Detroit, Michigan, state law allows schools to refer a student to an abortion or even help that student obtain one, according to The Detroit News. Suppose parents want to be informed of these things. In that case, this is another situation in which there needs to be involvement with school boards and PTA meetings since abortion is now something that is decided on the state level rather than being a federal issue. Parents might even point out introducing themselves to the school counselor and school nurse. They're generally willing to keep parents informed about any concerns when requested to do so.
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4. Deconstruction of Religious Values
4. Deconstruction of Religious Values
Over the past few decades, many public schools haven't been especially supportive of allowing for religious perspectives to be considered within the realm of education. Parents want to have more of a choice in where their child attends school, and so some states have created state-funded programs involving vouchers, ESAs, and tax-credit scholarships that allow for public money to go toward a family's private school of choice so that they can afford for their child to attend that private school, according to Education Week.
Focus on the Family Citizen and Promise to America's Parents Coalition is partnering to push Congressional leaders to protect families and parental rights by voting to pass the Families' Rights and Responsibilities Act, S. 204, and H.R. 650. If passed, these bills would mandate that the federal government review any action that could hinder parents' rights via a legal standard of strict scrutiny. It would also recognize that parents have constitutional rights to make decisions regarding their children's education, healthcare, and religious upbringing while also preventing the government from usurping the authority of parents. Parents can contact their D.C. representatives and tell them they want these bills passed.
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Originally published June 30, 2025.
