Elections have consequences.” We hear this sentiment repeatedly every election cycle. And as Christians, we feel the consequences profoundly. We might choose to focus our attention on seemingly more pressing or more pleasant issues. But too often, our nation’s school children are most vulnerable to the devastating effects of government overreach or ungodly public policy. 

Consequently, Christians must engage on the national, state and local level—for our children’s sake—as voters and as candidates seeking elected office. Still need convincing? Keep reading.

In 2021, nearly 56 million students were enrolled in K-12 schools across the country. Only about 6 million were in private schools, while about 50 million were enrolled in public schools. Were these “enrolled” students learning together in a classroom or online with a teacher? Were students changing for gym class in sex-segregated locker rooms or were female students forced to share dressing spaces with male students and vice versa? Were students offered sexually explicit reading materials in classroom assignments or in the school library? What about student exposure to racially divisive or spiritually demeaning curricular content? 

These questions may seem like circumstances that could or should be guided by parents. But unlike the parental choices impacting 3.1 million students who were homeschooled in 2021, public school policies are controlled by elected officials, and not necessarily at the level of government the average American—Christian or not—would expect or prefer.

We all remember that in 2021, America was deeply divided about how to address the health concerns posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal government officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in the White House worked with teachers’ unions to issue guidance that kept many school buildings closed to students and staff.

School attendance across the country has never fully rebounded from prolonged closures, resulting in students who are “lost to the system.” In 2018, 15% of students were “chronically absent,” missing 10% or more of the school year. By 2023, chronic absences had risen to 26% of students. Families in crisis, bullying, boredom and mental health issues are often cited as factors, but it seems evident that decisions made by elected leaders to close schools also had prolonged and unintended consequences. 

For those 50 million children in public schools, the Biden administration has made sexual identity and expression the focus of education policies enforced on public schools. The federal Department of Education’s revision of the Title IX rule is designed to force schools to prioritize teaching children that they could be born in the wrong body or that “men” can become pregnant. Furthermore, the rule change undermines efforts in 26 states to protect privacy rights and athletic opportunities for women and girls. 

Biden’s controversial new Title IX rule, now enjoined in 15 states with other litigation pending, is intended to squash efforts by Christian parents like Sonja Shaw, school board president in Chino Hills, California (see page 8), who led her board to pass a resolution requiring that parents be notified when their child is seeking or offered services at school regarding gender identity. Even this very modest effort to include parents in decisions and medical interventions made at school is decried as “forced outing of LGBTQ students” and fought by the state of California, where the hiding of  children’s gender accommodations is now law and subject to more litigation.

But Shaw’s inspirational fight is both a warning and a lesson for parents across America. Her courage and faith inspired her to run for office and enact a policy to protect all students regardless of the long odds of success. America has around 14,000 school boards. We need an army of Sonja Shaws to answer God’s call to run for school boards in our communities.

In June, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed a law requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in every classroom in the state from kindergarten through college. The legislation was carried by State Representative Dodie Horton, a mother and grandmother, who says it best: “I’ve been trying to get God back in the classroom … It’s an honor to serve my district, and I just want to glorify God by the way I serve.” 

Unlike the hostility faced by Shaw in California, Horton enjoys the support and defense of her governor as well as her state Attorney General Liz Murrill. Why? Because elections have consequences. Similarly, in Oklahoma, Ryan Walters, the elected superintendent of public instruction, issued a memo in late June requiring the Bible be taught as a historical document for grades 5 through 12. “It is academic malpractice not to be teaching the Bible’s influence on American history,” Walters told an Oklahoma City television station. He added that parameters on how the Bible would be taught in state classrooms would be forthcoming. 

Will you join these brave Christians in the battle to protect our children and our nation? The organization I represent, Family Research Council, is among several that help equip Christians for public service. Visit FRCAction.org/schools to use our online tutorials such as “How to Run a Campaign for Local Office” or “What It’s Like to Serve on a School Board.”

I’m extremely grateful for Christians who teach or serve on staff for public or private schools. Their witness and dedication to showing the love of Christ to their students, parents and colleagues is needed now more than ever. Please join me in humbly seeking God’s direction for our individual roles in imploring and implementing His protection for our school-age children. ©2024 Meg Kilgannon

Meg Kilgannon is senior fellow for Education Studies at Family Research Council and formerly worked as director of the Office of Faith and Opportunity Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Education. 

Above: Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters presides over a state Board of Education meeting.

Photo: Sue Ogrocki / AP Images