Now that you know about the extreme-right ideology being taught in public schools using PragerU materials, you’re probably wondering what you can do to stop it.
Whether you’re in one of the four states that approved PragerU (Florida, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma) or you’re trying to keep your state from becoming the next one on that list, the good news is, there are things you can do. Communities are pushing back on this kind of extremism in schools, and they’re winning!
For example, last year in the Pennridge School District in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a local group called the RIDGE Network successfully activated community members to defeat extremism. Laura Foster, co-founder of RIDGE Network explained how they did it on our Cost Of Extremism podcast episode about PragerU (season 2, episode 3).
Extremists held a majority of seats on the Pennridge School Board, and they secretly arranged to contract with Vermillion Education — a group similar to PragerU — for curriculum. Under the extremist majority, students were subjected to whitewashed history and other inaccurate lessons. But after the RIDGE Network and other community members organized and turned out voters in the 2023 elections, five open seats on the Pennridge School Board were won by common-sense candidates who oppose extremism, and the contract with Vermillion was canceled.
Here’s what Laura and other experts recommend you do to effectively fight extremism in schools:
- Regularly talk with teachers and school administrators. This is how you learn what is going on at school, and how you let them know you’ve got their back.
- Volunteer in your local school(s).
- Go to school board meetings.
- Have conversations with people in your community about your schools. Many of us are busy and just assume everything is okay unless we hear otherwise, so let people know what is going on.
- Get parents involved. Ask everyone you know who cares about your schools to join you in supporting them.
- Be the biggest cheerleader for schools in your community. Promote school activities and showcase the hard work educators are doing everyday to help children become well-educated, better citizens.
Download our Parent Playbook for even more ways to keep extremist BS out of your local schools.
With these actions and our Playbook in hand, you’ll be ready to defeat extremism — like that of PragerU — if it ever shows up in your local schools!