Pennsylvania school board member blasted for ‘appalling’ message to concerned parents
The president of Parents Defending Education sounded the alarm Monday on “Fox & Friends First” after a school board member in Pennsylvania told parents “I don’t work for you” as parents nationwide push for more influence in the classroom.
“People are listening, they are watching, and they’re indignant about how their concerns are being dismissed, treated, and mocked,” Virginia resident Nicole Neily told Carley Shimkus.
“We see over and over again school boards that are now restricting public comment because turns out they don’t like being criticized for their decisions that they have made unilaterally.”
Richard Robinson, who is a school board member for the York Suburban School District, wrote the op-ed in the York Dispatch that garnered nationwide attention, explaining why he says he doesn’t work for parents.
“It’s appalling that he said this,” Neily stated. “He is just the latest in a string of elected officials who have finally let the mask slip that this whole part of the … consent of the governed part is really just an inconvenience speed bump on their way to forcing their agenda down people’s throats.”
In the op-ed, Robinson claims, “I was elected by people who voted to represent you,” while also suggesting parents do not always know what is best for their children.
He writes, “‘Don’t parents always know what is best for their child?’ No, we don’t. Nevertheless, if you are offended because I don’t believe parents are infallible, you can always sue or take your child out of school. Your choice.”
Neily argued school boards overstepping their bounds and infringing on parental rights is “extremely common.”
“Last year, there was the hot mic episode outside of San Francisco, where the school board was caught mocking their constituents,” she explained. “They all resigned en masse, and even just last week, the Democratic Party of Michigan had a social media post that they had to take down.”
