"A dark and dangerous agenda is stealing rights from parents and turning students against their families, their nation, and even against themselves." So warns Parents' Rights in Education (PRIE) National Director Suzanne Gallagher in a recent conversation with Education Reporter.

Gallagher is in a position to know. She has worked for nearly three decades to advance the rights of parents after the proposed curriculum in her then-middle schoolers' district raised her concerns in the early 1990s. Determined to make a difference, she joined Phyllis Schlafly Eagles and worked for several years in her home state of Oregon as part of that organization.

"I learned from Phyllis to identify specific curricula," Gallagher says. "The curriculum is the heart of the school, and people need to know what's going on behind the curtain. School districts today are actually claiming they are no longer educational institutions but are social service organizations."

The birth of PRIE

Gallagher was instrumental in naming Parents' Rights in Education (PRIE) during its organizational conception in 2009. Founding Executive Director, Lori Porter, established the 501(c)(3) organization in 2011. Gallagher was tapped by the PRIE Board of Directors in 2018 to take the reins as Executive Director. PRIE's work is supported mostly by small donations from concerned citizens and families who are upset and frustrated by what is happening in the public schools. The organization operates entirely with volunteers, although Gallagher hopes to eventually support a professional staff.

PRIE's website, which Gallagher admits is "always improving," provides a lot of information, including video presentations such as those recorded at PRIE's Northwest Safe Schools Summit (mentioned in the "Playbook" article in this month's issue of Education Reporter). The summit featured 12 speakers and was well attended both virtually and in person.

Gallagher observes: "Parents know instinctively that their rights are being usurped. They say, ‘how can the school district talk to my child behind my back?' Parents' stories of their experiences at the hands of teachers, school districts, and school boards are like gold," she adds. "Often, people don't believe what's going on until it hits close to home.

"Students are other people's minor children," she continues with passion. "But despite this inarguable fact, one school principal I spoke with actually proclaimed: ‘They are our children too.'"

PRIE's website also offers state-specific updates, and an invitation to sign up for email news alerts and/or fill out an online application to join an existing state chapter or start a new one. (PRIE currently operates in ten states: Alaska, Arizona, Illinois, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.) Visitors to the site can also subscribe to Gallagher's online podcasts, which cover current topics and news events.

Values and mission

PRIE values students, parents, and communities. "Our children aren't guinea pigs for government schools," asserts Gallagher. "We don't control parents — we empower them, and we enlighten communities.

"We stand for something very basic and simple, the fundamental right of parents to raise their children. And we firmly believe that children belong to their families. They don't belong to bureaucrats. They don't belong to the state, and they don't belong to the teachers' unions."

Through its website, PRIE connects parents with like-minded peers in their areas. The site acknowledges that when parents sign up, they may be invited to get involved with a local group but are in no way are they obligated to do so. The organization's mission states: "PRIE welcomes all students, families, and community members who care about scholastic success for K-12 public school students." It continues:

PRIE strives for the return of community values properly represented and reflected in school policies, without the current trend of coercion and reprisal as concerns are voiced. Public school boards were created to reflect the values of their community, and to defend and represent the people, providing a bridge between policy makers and taxpaying stakeholders. PRIE believes families are the most important stakeholders. Parents' voices matter!

Gallagher points out that parents have always had the legal right to direct the upbringing and education of their children, and that these rights have been upheld by no fewer than five Supreme Court decisions. "The only thing new about parental rights today," she says, "is a seemingly coordinated effort playing out across the country that is usurping and undermining the family's role within our communities."

Among PRIE's goals is uniting students by focusing on academics, which the organization notes "should be job #1" in schools. "We oppose labeling anyone, especially children," PRIE's mission states, "as that divides them at a time when an environment of acceptance is critical to their development."

The organization opposes political activism in public schools as well as the facilitation of any medical treatments or procedures without parental consent, and believes having a good school board is key. To that end, PRIE works to restore the accountability of school boards to parents, whose rights have so often been circumvented by board members. "School board members are elected officials who represent the community and parents of students," PRIE's mission affirms. "It is the responsibility of the school board to know exactly what is being taught."

Gallagher notes that school board members are often pressured by outside interests such as superintendents, teachers' unions, and other political groups, to vote in certain ways or support undesirable programs and curricula. PRIE advocates for the election of school board members who respect parents' rights and pay attention to their concerns.

A powerhouse for future action

PRIE has a Chapter Affiliation Process that enables new groups to be up and running in a week. Gallagher explains: "Parents are busy; often operating in survival mode. They have lots of responsibilities with work, home, and family, so we provide the assistance and expertise they need to become advocates for their children. We want boots on the ground that can function almost immediately.

"Because of demand," she continues, "we now have a national organization. Two of our goals include framing the takeover of our K-12 education system as the national crisis that it is, and then triggering a national discussion about it, not only by parents, but also by school board members and candidates, including those running for state and local government offices."

Gallagher explains that PRIE is stepping up its marketing efforts to take advantage of the mood in the country, adding that the organization also has a fundraising program for chapter affiliates.

Local goals

One of PRIE's goals in its home state of Oregon is to get like-minded groups and individuals on the same page. "So many small groups in Oregon are running around doing the same thing. We need to work together because the deck is stacked against us."

As an example, she cites the Oregon state law passed in 2011 which actually made the governor the superintendent of public instruction. This statute authorizes the governor's office to appoint a deputy superintendent and to determine that individual's salary. While the state senate must approve the appointment, even casual observers can see how this arrangement gives the governor and state senators potentially enormous power over what is taught in Oregon public schools. In a left-leaning state, this poses a serious threat to parental rights.

Gallagher also charges that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has played an integral part in the assault on parents' rights in the western and northwestern parts of the U.S. "The rulings of the Ninth Circuit," she says, "have caused parents to abdicate their right to determine what's medically accurate, age appropriate, healthy, and safe for their children in public schools."

Victory for PRIE

But Gallagher and PRIE refuse to allow the left to define them. In a bold move that mimicked the Left's tactics, PRIE released a proclamation in 2020 that the month of November be declared Parents' Rights in Education Month, with 2021 marking the second year of the declaration. Gallagher recalls that, at first, the teachers' unions loved the idea and adopted the proclamation, but later rescinded it, presumably after they realized what PRIE really meant by parents' rights.

"The union wanted the proclamation to state that parents should work with teachers," explains Gallagher. "They wanted to shift the focus away from parents and onto teachers and administrators.

"County commissioners were the first ones to approve our proclamation," she continues, "and we have had some success with it." The organization plans to continue promoting November as PRIE month.

"Asking local school boards to pass the proclamation is one way to find out who they are," Gallagher says. "If they don't allow a vote or they vote it down, then they are on record as voting against parents. All PRIE is saying is that parents want to be involved in their children's education, and that we support them in that effort."

Gallagher emphasizes that PRIE "needs more quality people to join us. We have to keep this effort going — we have the momentum!"

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