US public schools burned up nearly $3.2bn fending off rightwing culture attacks - report

[groundloop]

Source: The Guardian

Attacks targeting American public schools over LGBTQ+ rights and education about race and racism cost those schools an estimated $3.2bn in the 2023-24 school year, according to a new report by education professors from four major American universities.

The study is believed to be the first attempt to quantify the financial impact of rightwing political campaigns targeting school districts and school boards across the US. In the wake of the pandemic, these campaigns first attempted to restrict how American schools educate students about racism, and then increasingly shifted to spreading fear among parents about schools’ policies about transgender students and LGBTQ+ rights.

Researchers from UCLA, UT Austin, UC Riverside and American University surveyed 467 public school superintendents across 46 US states, asking them about the direct and indirect costs of dealing with these volatile campaigns. Those costs included everything from out-of-pocket payments to hire to lawyers or additional security, to the staff member hours devoted to responding to disinformation on social media, addressing parent concerns and replying to voluminous public records requests focused on the district’s teachings on racism, gender and sexuality.

The campaigns that focused on public schools’ policies about transgender students often included lurid false claims about schools trying to change students’ gender or “indoctrinating” them into becoming gay. This disinformation sparked harassment and threats against individual teachers, school board members and administrators, with some of the fury coming from within local communities, and even more angry calls, emails and social media posts flooding in from conservative media viewers across the country.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2024/oct/23/public-schools-culture-war-cost

---

This article is worth reading if you have time.

[wolfie001]

1. It's the six religious freaks on the Supreme Court that is responsible

It seems like we Democrats are so afraid to call a pig what it is. Or six pigs what they are. Fuck decorum. Those six f6ckers want Americans to turn to religious institutions to get their "education". This was unthinkable when I was schooled between 1965-1982 with my BA. Shitbag rayguns started this on a grand scale. I hope we can turn this around.

[Historic NY]

2. Sticking the local taxpayers with the bill in increased school taxes...

is exactly what it does.

[Clouds Passing]

3. The Facists will defund public education any way they can. Vote Blue for Public Education!

[Clouds Passing]

7. The Rs are masters of wasting taxpayer dollars, especially when the $$$ go to them directly

[Clouds Passing]

9. I used to like Favre until I found out he was a bigoted thief who steals from poor people.

Talk about a loser with a capital L

[dalton99a]

4. Kick

[TygrBright]

5. Very important article. The GOP has been working to destroy public education for decades. n/t

[Diamond_Dog]

10. My GOP sister just the other day told me

she never votes for school levies because she doesn’t have kids.

Sigh.

I told her that there were probably many childless people who voted to fund our schools when she and I were young and going to public school. Her answer was, I suppose so.

[Oopsie Daisy]

11. What a waste. So, even for the times the RW loses... they win?

[littlemissmartypants]

12. That sure is a ...

Bunch of free breakfasts and lunches...

?v=4611.2
?v=8514.9
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/frequency-of-food-insecurity/

A hungry man is an angry man.

~Anonymous

[Boomerproud]

13. Someone once said Education equals Equality.

That's the core of their contempt and hatred.

[hueymahl]

14. This is unfortunately the cost of maintaining a public education system in a liberal democracy

All groups are free to attempt to influence the policies of their local school systems through free speech, electing school board members and court action. In conservative areas liberal groups have used the courts to expand rights they believe are protected. Conservative groups do the same in liberal areas.

I don't have to like the conservative position to admit they have a protected legal right under our system to attempt to influence the public school system in lawful ways.

[Magoo48]

15. The only culture the RW has is the culture of hate.

Evangelical hate, political hate, cultural and social hate, and fear-driven self hate.