As leaders in public education, we've experienced firsthand the ongoing nationwide attacks on public schools that threaten to erase parts of our history, ban certain books, and prioritize culture wars over student growth and academic development. These attacks are an affront to the students and families we serve — and as responsible education leaders, we can’t afford to keep quiet.
The Pledge:
As educators, school board members, and school superintendents—many of us parents ourselves—we know that a strong public education system is the key to a bright future not just for our children, but also for our democracy. Unfortunately, our work is threatened by culture wars and witch hunts across the country that stir up controversy, undermine trust in schools and teachers, and undo our collective commitment to providing every child with an excellent education. Our students succeed when families and teachers work together to provide high-quality, age appropriate instruction, as well as key life skills.
We commit to teaching the complete and true story of America and its diverse democracy in our schools—using age-appropriate books and materials for all subjects. We will not work with any publishers or curriculum companies that water down their products based on the agenda of political extremists. That is not education, and it prevents our children from gaining the knowledge and skills to succeed as adults. We must not engage in this kind of political theater that creates more red tape and wastes tax dollars—at the expense of our children.
We agree that:
Book bans and curriculum censorship not only limit the knowledge and understanding of our children, but they also send a message that certain identities and backgrounds are not welcome in our society. That is not who we are as a country.
All children deserve the freedom to learn about our full and complete history, diverse stories, and each other without interruption by a loud minority of political extremists. When books are being banned and curriculum is being censored by politicians, our kids aren’t learning.
Our children have a right to learn the true story of America with age-appropriate books and materials in their classrooms and libraries. We need parents and educators working together in partnership to help our children succeed.
Our kids deserve an education that helps them learn the life skills and knowledge they'll need to be successful in their future. Students need to learn the fundamentals like reading and math, they also need important skills like communication, teamwork, decision-making, and self-discipline.
We, the undersigned school board members and superintendents, stand with our educators and families who work hard every day to ensure that our children can be successful.
