I would like to tell you what inspired me to launch the movement “No Left Turn.” Over the years, as my children have been attending public schools, I increasingly noticed that their education was becoming tainted with historical revisionism, political correctness, and the outright rejection of values which have long been at the core of the American experience. On numerous occasions I discussed my specific concerns with school principals and teachers and requested that my children opt out of specific lessons and activities that promoted grossly biased views. While my wishes were granted, it has become increasingly apparent to me that the subversion of public school education has accelerated.
This past Spring, I decided to withdraw my children from the local public school and transfer them to a private school for the Fall. In June, shortly after the death of George Floyd and the protests, rioting and looting that ensued, the principal of my children’s elementary school issued a message to parents that shocked me. It described a hastily drawn up plan by a “Cultural Proficiency Committee” at the school “to offer explicit lessons on equity and race for our students.” Despite the fact that the school already offers a robust curriculum that includes five distinct programs (plus Black History Month) to help foster empathy, understanding, and compassion in students, they felt an urgent need to execute additional lessons in “cultural proficiency” to children starting in kindergarten, two days before the conclusion of the school year. These lessons included topics such as “diversity,” “racism,” “justice,” “equity” and “privilege”. But instead of reaffirming and fostering the wholesome teaching of MLK, Jr., the lessons in this new “cultural proficiency” unit incorporated specific books that described “whiteness” as an entitlement to steal land, garner riches, and get special treatment. I opted my children out of these classes as well.
Although our kids will not be returning to the public school, I feel strongly that progressive indoctrination in the education system is having a devastating impact on our community and our nation. When the school year concluded, I wrote a letter to the superintendent of our school district (Lower Merion School District – LMSD), to the school board and the school principal. In it I expressed my indignation that the school is purposefully programming impressionable young children into the “woke” culture and I questioned the validity of such teaching (see copy of email here ). To date, I’m still awaiting a reply.
Five weeks later I posted that letter to the group FB page of the school’s parents and expected to generate a serious and thoughtful discussion. Instead, I was met with derision from a handful – but vocal – woke radical parents. More importantly though, I found a significantly large groundswell of support from families within my immediate community and beyond. They reached out to me privately, alarmed by the infiltration of progressive ideology into public education. So many of them shared their stories how liberal friends, colleagues, and even family members shunned them for rejecting the leftist wave determined to take over the country. So they stayed low. Silent. Fearful of the social, occupational, and economic consequences that might result from expressing opposing values. It was then that I realized that we needed a voice. I created the No Left Turn Movement to be that voice. A voice to push back on the Leftist agenda sweeping into public education and to underscore the ideals and values that make our country exceptional. There are thousands in our community, and surely millions in our country who feel as we do and are willing to win back our schools from those who try to poison young minds.
We are vocal. We are loud. We are tenacious. We must be heard. But we are civil. We respect the rules of society and legitimate authority. We will not stand down. We are the majority – patriotic Americans who believe that a fair and just society can only be achieved when malleable young minds are free from indoctrination that suppresses their independent thought.