Op-Ed by Tim Scott In The Hill: My Plan To Empower Parents

Tim Scott
The Hill
September 8, 2023

Back-to-school should be a season of excitement and optimism for families. But this year, too many parents are worried and anxious.

One big worry is learning loss and academics. Our government K-12 schools spend twice as much per pupil as we did back in the 1960s, but kids are retaining less and less. Reading, math and standardized test scores are the lowest we've seen in decades. Fewer than one-in-three eighth graders can read at grade level.

Then there is the staggering, underdiscussed crisis in youth mental health. Youth depression and suicidal behavior had already skyrocketed before the Covid lockdowns made things even worse. One physician recently said her ER has gone from seeing 30 kids a month for emergency psychiatric issues to 30 every single day. Some of the patients are as young as six. What is happening in a country and a culture where kindergarteners need professional treatment for anxiety and depression?

And millions of families of faith feel they are being targeted and under siege. The radical left is bringing an aggressive culture war to the doorsteps of families who just want to be left alone. Catholic, evangelical, Orthodox, Jewish and Muslim parents are watching their tax dollars spent on lessons and library books that contradict their deepest beliefs and deny basic truths about human nature that everybody agreed on until just recently.

These circumstances call for an all-out campaign to champion, support and empower parents.

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The good news is that the solutions are simple. I have a plan to protect kids and empower parents throughout our society — from the classroom to the locker room to the smartphone.

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I am living proof of the amazing power of parenting. I was blessed with grandparents and a mother who prayed for me, molded my character and passed down priceless lessons.

I will use the Oval Office to turn the far left's war on parents upside-down. I'll give 21st-century parents 21st-century tools and solutions and empower them in every way possible.

We need to give every family a choice and every parent a voice so that every child has a chance.

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Read the full op-ed here.