I’m trying to pin down exactly what Idaho AG Raul Labrador means when he decries  “government educators with political agendas” and public education as government indoctrination. Does it boil down to a fear of moral relativism?  For my part, I stand firmly against moral relativism, too.   

The indoctrination that I think Labrador is accusing public education of is akin to teaching 2+2=5 … or, in other words, he thinks public education twists the reality we can all clearly sense into what flat-out isn’t true. The “Everyone is welcome here poster” is an example. My guess is that in a core-beliefs way he understands the DEI-ness of the picture and words as really meaning “Anything goes here …. Sex, drugs, Satan or whatever other perversion makes you feel good, is good. And everyone gets a trophy!”  If I saw the poster that way, I’d be against it, too. 

But I don’t see it that way.  In fact, I’m kind of sick of that poster, because now that it’s been politicized–it’s no longer an innocent, innocuous bit of wallpaper.  Now where hard-righters see indoctrination leading to perversion, hard-lefters see saving the vulnerable from persecution.  To me, that poster’s original meaning, and the mission of public education writ large, is the same as the great notion our American Founders settled on with , e pluribus unum. In fact, Britannica says that up until 1956 and Sen. Joe McCarthy’s Red Scare, e pluribus unum was America’s de facto motto.  So much about that era mirrors our time– including the revision of the American motto to “In God We Trust”–which, to my mind, seems like a Red-Scare-response that is kind of chest-beating and doth-protest too-much-ish in that same way that calling public education government indoctrination is.  

The big point here is that Sen. McCarthy was wrong AND communism is wrong.  Idaho AG Labrador is wrong AND moral relativism is wrong. 2+2=4 AND pluralism + general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools (Idaho State Constitution, Article IX) = The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people (again, Article IX) 

Just about every politicized and polemic issue in education, and beyond, can be reframed and clarified if we return to the fundamentals of what America’s Founders grappled with. Those thoughtful, persevering, and imperfect people came together with diverse views and experiences and designed a political framework to share power between branches of government, the states, and individuals. Reinterpretations and amendments to the Constitution over the course of our history have made us stronger, but haven’t totally alleviated our growing pains. 

There is a real debate to be had, but it gets obscured by the accusation of “indoctrination.”  The real debate is about why we keep church and state separate. America’s Founders wisely protected the freedom of religion from the power of government…not the other way around. The sanctity of a family’s belief system and faith is free and untouched by state power because of the secularity of public education. Yes, America’s Founders claimed their Christian principles as the ultimate authority that grounded their design for America, but they rejected installing a state religion… because their Christian principles were based on faith, not power.  Because power corrupts. When state leaders claim righteousness by co-opting the power that religion imbues for political or monetary gain, it corrupts both politics and faith.

A child’s full education is not an either/or!  Labrador is arguing that public education conflicts with his interpretation of Christian values. Basically he’s saying families need the oversight of a state religion. Who’s the indoctrinator?

Public ed is 100% not an either/or. It’s a yes, and!  Yes, everyone is welcome. And we’ll be facing new challenges together. Yes, parents and guardians are ultimately responsible for raising children. And educators and families work together to support students’ learning while they’re in school. Idaho, students and their families, and public educators have shared goals. Together we support the development of kids’ potential to thrive in body, mind, and spirit. Everyone is welcome to participate in our learning communities as we focus on honing the skills and understanding concepts that our state of Idaho has determined all citizens should learn for our individual and common good. E pluribus unum.