Michigan Democrats were heavily criticized over the weekend for telling parents that they are not 'clients' of public schools and that public education teaches kids what society 'needs them to know.'
A Facebook post on Saturday shared by the state's Democrats on their official page blasted the idea that parents should be involved in what public school teach their children. The post was taken down on Monday morning following heavy disapproval.
'Not sure where this "parents-should-control-what-is-taught-in-schools-because-they-are-our-kids" is originating, but parents do have the option to send their kids to a hand-selected private school at their own expense if this is what they desire,' the post read.
'The purpose of public education in public schools is not to teach kids only what parents want them to be taught,' the Michigan Democratic Party’s post added. 'It is to teach them what society needs them to know. The client of the public school is not the parent, but the entire community, the public.'
The Michigan Democratic Party later deleted the post on Martin Luther King Day and retracted its original statement. It is unclear who wrote the post - but Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been blasted for what many see as meddling by her party members.
Michigan Democrats have been blasted by Republican officials in the state for telling parents to sign their kids up in private schools if they don't like the education curriculum, adding that 'the client of the public school is not the parent, but the entire community, the public'
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been pressured to respond to the original post, shared on Saturday before it was deleted on Martin Luther King Day
'We have deleted a post that ignored the important role parents play—and should play—in Michigan public schools. Parents need to have a say in their children’s education, end of story,' a following post on Monday read. 'The post does not reflect the views of Michigan Democrats and should not be misinterpreted as a statement of support from our elected officials or candidates.'
Republican candidate for the upcoming March 8 gubernatorial election and former Detroit police chief James Craig said in a statement that parents are the 'true stakeholders' of their children's' education. He also labelled the state's democrats' post as 'disgraceful' and claimed that 'they have an agenda of indoctrination, not education.'
'Gov. Whitmer’s Democratic Party irresponsibly just said, "the client of the public school is not the parent, but the entire community, the public." I vehemently disagree,' he wrote in a tweet sharing his statement.
'Parents that expect more out of their local public school and hold them accountable should not be told to get out their checkbook
