Your parental rights in Tennessee are in jeopardy. Read that again.
If you thought you were protected because Tennessee is a “red state,” you were wrong.
If you moved here to escape tyrannical government overreach, you are in for a surprise. You have been sold oceanfront property in the hills of Tennessee.
On Feb. 6, 2024, Free YOUR Children traveled to the Tennessee Capitol in opposition to Governor Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act (voucher expansion program).
We were there the majority of the day, in back-to-back appointments scheduled with Republican legislators. We had meetings with Senator Ferrell Haile, Senator Joey Hensley, Representative Kip Capley, Representative Scott Cepicky, Representative Bryan Richey, Senator Janice Bowling, Senator Mark Pody and Representative John Ragan.
Our group was so large that most of the meetings had to be moved into a conference room. We have been to the Capitol before; however, the Free YOUR Children ministry has grown, and the message has gained traction. Our reason for going was not an expectation of influencing our lawmakers. After all, they have been promoting this bill and encouraging parents to sign up for the program ahead of the actual wording being released to the public. Our reason for going was so that legislators could hear directly from the very families that this bill will affect.
The Free YOUR Children radio show covers our trip to the Capitol in detail, and you can find it at: frontporchradiotn.com on the podcast portal Free YOUR Children episode 3.
It was an eye-opening experience for many who joined us.
Senator Ferrell Haile wasted no time in telling us that the state needed accountability for home-school families because there were certain groups that weren’t doing a good job. This is an interesting position, since the state of Tennessee isn’t effectively educating its public school students while home-school students statistically outperform those in public schools academically. He was clear that he believes accountability should be attached to school choice funding.
Senator Haile and Rep. Ragan
Representative John Ragan was insistent that the Tennessee State Constitution demands documentation that children are receiving an education. We pointed out that the state constitution refers to public education.
“The State of Tennessee recognizes the inherent value of education and encourages its support. The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance, support and eligibility standards of a system of free public schools,” according to Article XI, Section 12 of the Tennessee Constitution.
Our group pointed out that we were there to discuss private educational options and how we wanted to protect them. The state constitution has a responsibility to provide a system of public education, and therein lies the difference.
Representative Ragan went on to tell us that if home schoolers aren’t required to register, how will overseers know if they are complying with truancy laws? After much discussion I asked the question, “Do you believe the state, or the parents, have the most rights in terms of education?” His answer was: “They are equal.”
Do parents in Tennessee agree with this statement? Do we believe that our Constitutional rights and parental rights are shared equally with the state of Tennessee? Do we really want to turn over private education to legislators who believe the state’s rights are equivalent to those of parents?
Representative Ragan sits on the House Standing Committee Education. “The House Education Committee deals with all bills relating to education in general. This includes schools (kindergarten through university level, curricula, and lunch programs); teachers, school employees, bus drivers and administrators (pay, benefits and retirement); vocational technical education; and adult education,” according to information at capitol.tn.gov.
Representative Ragan went on to state that school vouchers provide competition. Where is the competition when both private and public educational opportunities would then be funded by the government? The Every Student Succeeds Act states all education must be aligned to the same post-secondary readiness standards as laid out in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
School choice legislation does not create competition. What it does is place all education under government control, leaving parents and children no escape from government overreach. They are then controlled by the same individuals who believe that the state’s rights are equal to parental rights.
Our meeting with Representative Scott Cepicky was a joint meeting including Representative Kip Capley and Senator Joey Hensley.
Rep. Cepicky and Rep. Capley
After leaving this meeting, Representative Scott Cepicky admitted to calling other legislators at the Capitol and telling them to come and see him after our visit so that he could “set them straight.” This is concerning considering Representative Cepicky stated, after attending a Free YOUR Children seminar, that he didn’t know that Social Emotional Learning was bad and he was unaware that Critical Race Theory was still in our schools.
Free YOUR Children has been accused of fearmongering and spreading false information, yet none of these individuals have yet to clarify which information is supposedly false. Why are they so afraid of an educated populace? Could it be that an educated populace will push back against these initiatives? Could it be that the truth may derail their future political aspirations? Could it be that there is a great deal of money involved in the school choice scam?
Rep. Bulso and Senator Hensley
In addition to the Education Freedom Scholarship Act legislation, filed as HB 2468/SB 0503 (although it was originally introduced as SB 2787) there are several parental rights bills that are concerning. These bills subvert parental rights.
The bill HB 1913/SB 1873, sponsored by Representative Gino Bulso and Senator Joey Hensley, makes it clear that the bill does not “prohibit a court of competent jurisdiction, a law enforcement officer, or an employee of a government agency responsible for child welfare, from acting in an official capacity within the reasonable and prudent scope of such authority” nor does it “prohibit a court of competent jurisdiction from issuing an order that is otherwise permitted by law.”
Our schools are being loaded with mental health professionals, SRO officers and social workers who will be seeking to identify “at risk” children. Schools can bill Medicaid without parental consent and children have access to telemedical services. This legislation is a slippery slope, and our conservative lawmakers are sponsoring legislation that is allowing the destruction of our parental rights.
House Bill 1414 and Senate Bill 0620 enumerate parental rights. I have already written about why that is dangerous.
Any government that feels it has the right to list your parental rights for you is big enough to take those rights away. Wording is easily amended.
If Tennesseans do not stand up now, there will be no turning back.
Contact your legislators and tell them to vote NO on these bills. Show up at the Capitol with Free YOUR Children to fight for your parental and educational rights.
Do not rely on organizations or legislators to protect your freedom. You must get involved. It is now or never. Contact Free YOUR Children at freeyourchildren@gmail.com for more information.
[Photo, top, courtesy of Goran Macura / Pexels]
