Backstage Prep for Civic Performance

Should elected officials have influence over what is taught in public schools?

• U.S. public schools received about $954 billion in total funding in the 2020 to 2021 school year (National Center for Education Statistics).
• Roughly 46% came from state governments, 44% from local governments, and 11% from the federal government.
• Because most funding is raised from taxpayers at the state and local level, some people argue elected officials should have a role in overseeing education policy, including curriculum.
• School budgets are shaped by administrators, districts, and local school boards, and community members and local leaders can influence those decisions.

Because public schools are largely funded by taxpayers at the state and local level, some people argue that elected officials should have a role in overseeing education policy.

Why do some people believe communities should influence school curriculum?

• Most U.S. school districts are guided by local school boards made up of elected community members.
• The National School Boards Association describes boards as the voice of the community in education: they help set standards for what students learn and are accountable to local voters.
• Reporting from PBS NewsHour shows school boards have become places where communities debate race, gender, and the books used in classrooms.

Because public schools serve local communities and are governed by elected school boards, some people believe curriculum should reflect community standards and values.

Why do some people believe parents need to have a voice in education?

• In a November 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 54% of U.S. adults said parents should be able to opt their children out of lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity; 34% said the same for lessons on racism or racial inequality.
• Those views split sharply by party. On sexual orientation and gender identity, 79% of Republicans and Republican leaners supported opt-outs versus 32% of Democrats and Democratic leaners.
• In June 2025 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that some parents could remove their children from certain school activities involving books with LGBTQ characters, citing the parents' religious beliefs (reported by Reuters).
• A TEDx talk in the module argues parents are a child's first teachers and that students learn better when families and schools work as partners.

Because parents are deeply involved in their children's lives and education, some people believe parents should have influence over what their children learn in school.

Should some topics be taught differently depending on students' age?

• A Florida law limits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for kindergarten through third grade. A 2024 legal settlement clarified that older students and teachers can discuss these topics more openly (Reuters).
• Supporters say younger students should not be exposed to topics they may not be ready to understand; critics say the limits can prevent schools from teaching about diversity and inclusion.
• Many state sex-education laws already require lessons to be age-appropriate, medically accurate, and based on reliable information (National Conference of State Legislatures). Illinois law (105 ILCS 5/27-9.1 and 150 ILCS 110/3) requires instruction to be developmentally and age appropriate and allows parents to opt out.

Because children develop and mature at different stages, some people believe schools should set age-appropriate boundaries when deciding how and when to teach certain topics.