With Community Schools, Government Will Raise Your Kids

The latest socialist scheme promises to remove the burden of parenthood by taking your kids away

Parents would be wise to monitor the rise of “community schools” across the nation because not all is as it seems. The National Education Association (NEA), a top teachers’ union, defines community schools as “public schools that provide services and support that fit each neighborhood’s needs, created and run by the people who know our children best—all working together.” The NEA also states that these schools are based on the “Sustainable Community Schools” (SCS) model.

Notice that the union calls them our children. Co-parenting with the government or extremist teachers’ unions will only further destroy our society.

The SCS effort is socialism on steroids. The idea is that the government will provide more funding to public schools to provide services for children other than just academic needs. In addition, funding is provided for curriculum and professional development for teachers that align with SCS initiatives. The Journey for Justice Alliance is an organization that is a leader in promoting SCS and has a far-left cultural agenda for specific racial groups. This group fights against school choice and advocates for “education justice.”

The well-being of children is certainly important, but through the SCS model, the government provides funding and control for every aspect of a child’s life through wraparound services. Socialist ideals such as healthcare for all, free food for all, housing assistance and more are included in the Community schools playbook.

Whose Kids Are They?

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT)—another far-left teachers’ union led by Randi Weingarten—also advocates for community schools because the unions have been placed in lead positions on these endeavors. Unions have great leverage to implement Weingarten’s radical views such as parents not having the right to “shape their kids school curriculum.”

It’s undeniable that the best predictor of student success is parental involvement. Yet the focus of the SCS model is more government—and less parent—control over children. The U.S. Department of Education recently promoted an article that advocates for the government to support students “from cradle to career” through community schools. This phrase should send shivers down the spine of freedom- and liberty-loving Americans who oppose socialism.

The Coalition for Community Schools (CCS) advocates for increased funding for community schools because “the basic physical, mental, and emotional health needs of young people and their families are recognized and addressed.”

While we all support helping struggling families, is it the role of public schools to provide welfare to the community? In the past, faith institutions such as churches and synagogues were the heart of the community and provided safety nets. Under the model pushed by CCS, government-controlled schools become the distribution site of support—with funding provided by the taxpayer—rather than faith organizations.

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Public education’s focus is no longer on educating children. It has become a social services welfare organization supported by left-wing activist groups such as the NEA, AFT and Journey for Justice Alliance. The community schools model relies on outside organizations to help deliver services.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) raised concerns regarding the Biden administration requesting additional funds to increase the number of community schools that partner with third party entities to “provide comprehensive and coordinated academic, social, and health services for students.” Sen. Cassidy further noted that organizations such as Planned Parenthood could qualify to be a provider under the community schools model funded by the taxpayer.

The Communist Equity Narrative Infesting Government Schools

In the Communist Manifesto, Frederick Engels and Karl Marx lay out the provisions necessary to bring about communism—including the abolition of the family. Another key communist principle outlined by Engles was to provide “education of all children, from the moment they can leave their mother’s care, in national establishments at national cost.”

Advocates for Community schools emphasize the need for equity or equitable outcomes, which is reminiscent of the Marxist phrase “from each according to his ability to each according to his need.” Organizations pushing the community schools initiatives push the communist equity narrative as the reason for their existence. The equity agenda has wormed its way into every facet of government schools.

The family dinner table was once a place where everyone would come together to strengthen their relationships, discuss their day and their hopes and aspirations. Now government schools through the SCS model are providing 3 meals a day to children, further taking them away from important growth time with family. The strategies of SCS closely fit into the communist model of abolishing the family and providing government control over not only education but all aspects of life—food, healthcare, education, social, emotional, clothing and more. The more control the government asserts over children and families the closer our nation gets to not only socialism but to communism.

It’s no mystery why the NEA and AFT are such strong supporters of community schools: They call the socialist model “one way to dismantle institutional racism and remove obstacles that stand in the way of some students.” If the unions believe that government schools are racist institutions failing children, then why do they fight so hard against education freedom initiatives that provide families with a choice of where to send their child to school?  

Expanding the size of government schools and giving more taxpayer funding to government institutions are not the answers to improving student academic outcomes. The answer is for government to get out of the way and to stop indoctrinating students with Marxist methods that seek to destroy the family and increase public dependence on government in every aspect of their life. The only answer to improving student academic outcomes is to provide competition in education by allowing tax dollars to follow the student.

Families shouldn’t be stuck in a failing school simply because of their zip code. Continuing to give money to organizations that embrace socialist philosophies will only further destroy our nation.

Victoria Manning is the vice president of Students First VA and an elected member of the Virginia Beach School Board