by James A. Bacon
It’s conventional wisdom that voters don’t read the position papers of political candidates. If so, John Reid’s foray into K-12 school reform may not do much to energize his campaign for lieutenant governor. That would be a shame because, love him or hate him, Reid speaks common sense with clarity on a discussion made opaque by buzzwords and mumbo jumbo that substitute for thought.
Sounding the theme that gave Governor Glenn Youngkin his winning edge four years ago, Reid says, “parents aren’t the problem, they’re the foundation. And it’s time we treat them that way.”
Reid will be attacked as radical and transphobic no matter what. But voters should note that he doesn’t call for purging leftist content about sexuality, ideology and gender identity from schools. Rather, he wants to shield children from such controversial material without parents giving their OK. The same goes for mental-health and gender-related services, which should never be provided without parents being notified.
“Families,” says Reid in his Reid Revolution account on Substack, “deserve full visibility” into what their children are being exposed to.
The culture war raging in Virginia public schools is about whether the so-called “progressives” who have captured the K-12 education system in many localities can use their power to drive radical social transformation in defiance of the wishes of many if not most parents. Reid is basically saying, to borrow a line from Pink Floyd, “Hey, teacher, leave our kids alone!”
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