Dem standard-bearer David Axelrod bucks progressives over schools, says parents should have say

close

Video

Randi Weingarten suggests not getting rid of masks until zero transmission in schools

Former Obama aide and CNN political commentator David Axelrod on Wednesday said parents should be more involved in their children's schools than politicians.

"Parents should absolutely be involved in the schools their kids attend. Politicians absolutely should not!" Axelrod said in a Wednesday tweet.

His comment stands in contrast to statements from Democratic politicians like former Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, who have argued parents should not have a stronghold over public school curriculum.

DEMOCRATS, TEACHERS UNIONS FIGHT TO KEEP PARENTS FROM LEARNING WHAT THEIR KIDS ARE TAUGHT

"I'm glad David's seeing the light," Corey DeAngelis, national director of research at school choice organization American Federation for Children and an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, told Fox News Digital. "This statement is a fantastic endorsement of school choice and parental rights in education. Parents know and care more about their children's needs than bureaucrats sitting in offices hundreds of miles away."

He added that "parents, not politicians, should decide the education environment that works best for their own children."

A woman holds up her sign against critical race theory being taught during a Loudoun County Public Schools board meeting in Ashburn, Virginia, on Oct. 12, 2021.

The coronavirus pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd's 2020 murder have sparked arguments over COVID-19 restrictions such as remote learning and mask mandates, as well as educational content focused on race, between parents, school boards and politicians alike.

On Tuesday, San Francisco residents overwhelmingly approved the recall of three of the city’s school board members, arguing that they pushed progressive politics rather than act in the best interest of children during the pandemic, according to the San Francisco Department of Elections.

FEDERAL OFFICIALS ‘AT CROSSROADS' ON SCHOOLING BETWEEN PARENTS, TEACHERS AND RANDI WEINGARTEN: ‘THE FIVE’

Some pundits and politicians have argued that educators should have the strongest say in school curricula, saying students have the right to think for themselves, even if their ideas contrast with their parents.

A teacher walks among the masked students in a socially distanced classroom at Medora Elementary School on March 17, 2021, in Louisville, Kentucky. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Others argue that parents, who pay taxes that fund their children's public schools and teachers' salaries, should have more say in what materials are presented in classrooms.

More parent groups such as Parents Defending Education and the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR), as well as unofficial groups of local parents, have sprung up over the past two years to make concerted efforts to voice concerns about school curriculum and COVID-19 mandates.