I attended the Parental Choice Tax Credit Town Hall hosted by Idaho Kids Win in Idaho Falls, and the portrayal offered by Jamie Braithwaite, president of the Idaho PTA, does not reflect what happened.

The event was a good-faith effort by lawmakers, policy experts, and attorneys to answer parents’ real questions about the Parental Choice Tax Credit and how it works in practice. Families asked thoughtful, practical questions about eligibility and implementation, and they received clear, substantive answers to what at this point are technical and regulatory questions on how to use the program. This matters most for low-income and working-class parents, who are often actively searching for information on how to access quality education for their children.

The reality in the room was that some participants did not attend to listen or learn; instead, they arrived organized and intent on dominating the discussion. These attendees interrupted speakers and redirected the conversation toward political talking points. This pattern has repeated itself at multiple Idaho Kids Win town halls. That is not dialogue; it is obstruction-via-activists. Ultimately, it discourages families from participating at all. If that is in fact the intent, it is shameful.

Jamie Braithwaite, president of the Idaho PTA, leads an organization that typically aligns with teachers unions. Teachers unions, of course, are politically active in opposing school choice programs, including the Parental Choice Tax Credit. School choice gives parents a real voice in directing their children’s educational future. Braithwaite’s lament about missing “real voices” while working systematically to drown out those same voices is quite telling.

Exploring various forms of accountability is welcome, important, and reasonable. Anti-school choice activists, however, intentionally ignore or discount the extraordinary accountability that comes as a direct result of parents choosing which schools to attend and fund.

On the accountability front, a close look at public school data tells a disturbing story. In Idaho, only 41% of fourth graders are proficient in math, and just 32% are proficient in reading. For minority students, the situation is particularly stark, with Hispanic 4th-grade students trailing their white peers by more than a year and a half of learning, according to recent NAEP scores. These alarming statistics, at a minimum, should spur some introspective humility among those charged with addressing accountability within the public school system.

Parents attending the town hall were not interested in ideological debates over this lifeline program. Such debates took place, at length and in depth, during multiple legislative processes. Rather, parents were there because their children are struggling, underserved, or not thriving in their current schools. They simply wanted to understand how the Parental Choice Tax Credit can expand their options.

This education tax credit expands opportunities for families long underserved by the traditional public school system. Importantly, this also includes families who simply think good education options should be better. This is not a public-versus-private debate, but an effort to put children first by creating a healthier education ecosystem.

Again, that policy debate happened during the legislative process. The law passed, was signed by the Governor, and is now in effect. Parents now deserve clarity, not confusion or intimidation. Parents asked serious questions, and they received serious answers. That is what responsible dialogue looks like.

Rather than behaving like a subsidiary of the teachers union, the PTA would do well to remember that Idaho parents can decide what is best for their children when given honest information. They do not need gatekeepers speaking over them, ostensibly providing a “parental voice.”

– Valeria Gurr is a senior fellow for policy and advocacy at the American Federation for Children. She advocates for educational choice, with a focus on expanding access for underserved families, and is the founder of La Federación Americana Para los Niños.