As much as Illinois parents pride themselves on fighting to preserve parental rights, the fact is they are no longer in control. The Government Super Nanny has moved in.
Last year, when Governor Blagojevich's taxpayer-funded "Preschool for All" program was proposed, those who should have been adamantly opposed based on parental rights said weak things like, "It's great idea, but we just can't afford it," while others shrugged their shoulders, saying "It doesn't affect me, it's voluntary."
How naive can we be? When will we learn that social progressives strategically maneuver frog-in-the-gradually-boiling-water proposals to make their radical long term socialized education system more palatable to the average parent?
The all-knowing Government Super Nanny has come in because we forfeited our rights to her by our own negligence.
Yet one more parent-right-stealing proposal is squirming its way through the Illinois Senate. Senator Kwame "I-want-compulsory-school-attendance-age-down-to-3" Raoul's SB 543 demands any child enrolled in kindergarten to be kept in the system, regardless of his or her parents' desire to back out.
So your little barely five year old goes to kindergarten, cries, begins having upset stomachs and is unable to cope with the classroom-induced stress. He becomes a behavior problem. He's given a mental health screening survey, and a red flag goes up. The school psychologist is called in to assess the child, and well, he recommends that little Stephen is put on medication to help him adapt.
Stephen's mom says, "No, he's the youngest in the family, and he's just not ready to be away from home all day. Let's bring him back home to mature a little and maybe try it again next year, when he's a little more ready."
With SB 543, little Stephen's mom will be forced to transfer that little one to another school -- perhaps, yes, a home school -- but still, once enrolled in the public system, the state sees the child as their responsibility and will fight to keep that little one (read a valuable revenue stream $$) in the system.
Raoul's reasonable-sounding bill is simply more stealing of parents rights, just as last year's "voluntary" universal preschool program is.
Those who sit on their hands and wait for someone else to engage in the fight against outrageous mandates to mandate HPV vaccines, lower compulsory school attendance age, provide universal preschool and require mandatory mental health screening should not complain, whine or fidget because the I-can-do-this-better-than-you Government Nanny has moved into their homes.
Why wouldn't she take over your responsibilities? Your complacency welcomed her with open arms.
Call your senator and tell him/her that children are their parents to raise, not the state's. Fight for your kids.
