Florida is now ground zero in the national fight for educational freedom

Education doesn’t begin in the classroom. It starts at the kitchen table — often after a family prayer — where parents pass down common sense and values through everyday conversations.

That’s why the stakes were so high last week when the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor. At the heart of the case lies a core American principle that conservatives defend: the God-given right of parents to raise and educate their children free from government interference.

A parent’s most important job is raising his child. We cannot outsource this responsibility to institutions that reject our values.

During the hearing, even Justice Elena Kagan — no ally of conservatives — acknowledged that “some nonreligious parents might not be ‘thrilled’” with the storybooks Montgomery County selected for young children. The books? “Pride Puppy!” “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” and “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope.” These titles feature references to underwear, leather, lip rings, and drag performers.

We’ve come a long way from “Little House on the Prairie.”

This raises a fundamental question: Why is parental authority suddenly up for debate?

Regardless of how the court rules, don’t expect this to end. For the left, the fight isn’t just political — it’s spiritual. As Rod Dreher writes in “Live Not by Lies”:

Christians today must understand that, fundamentally, they aren’t resisting a different politics but rather what is effectively a rival religion.

While the rest of the country argues, Florida leads.

As a father of three school-age children, I see daily how policy decisions affect our kids’ future. In Florida, parental rights don’t just get lip service — they shape law. They stand at the center of our education policy.

Thanks to the leadership of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., Florida ranks number one in the nation for education freedom. Our state approaches education with an unapologetic commitment to faith, family, and freedom.

The 2024-2025 “Focus on Florida’s Future” plan reflects that commitment. It raises teacher salaries, strengthens school safety, and invests a record $28.4 billion in K-12 education — all while expanding school choice.

Over the past year, Florida delivered:

• House Bill 931, which established a statewide school chaplain program, ensuring students can access faith-based counseling with parental consent.
• House Bill 1291, which strengthened teacher training programs by banning political indoctrination and reaffirming the goal of teaching facts, not ideology.
• An expanded Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, which gives more military families and students with disabilities the freedom to choose the education that fits them best.

Florida also continued its leadership in protecting Jewish schools, allocating $20 million for security upgrades, $3.5 million for transportation, and $7 million for Holocaust education centers.

Florida stands as a model. But the rest of the country must join the fight.

As Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned in “Battle for the American Mind,” the left has waged a strategic campaign to capture public schools. He explains how classical Christian education once taught wisdom through history and the great books. Today, that has been replaced by activist ideology. Physical education gave way to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Geology became gender theory. Civics became critical race theory.

This fight extends far beyond education. At stake is the authority of the American family.

Will we allow the state to replace parents as the primary moral guide for children?

If the Supreme Court upholds the current approach, no limiting principle will remain to stop the erosion of parental rights. We would do well to remember the court’s own words in Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925): “The child is not the mere creature of the state.”

A parent’s most important job is raising his child. We cannot hand off that duty to institutions hostile to our beliefs. Parental rights are not negotiable — they’re foundational. They serve as the first line of defense for a free and morally grounded society.

It’s time to bring education back home. Back to the kitchen table. Back to prayer. Back to the people who love children most — their parents.