Other Columns by David Horowitz
David Horowitz Bio

Printer-Friendly Version

Page 4 of 4

I then told this political activist posing as a teacher that she was a disgrace to her profession. This was apparently over the line for her. "You are on this campus illegally," she said, "and I am going to have you removed." "Go ahead," I said, knowing that the regulation was to keep drug dealers from getting at the teenagers, and thinking they should have a similar injunction for people dealing political drugs as well. I knew however, that if I called her bluff she would see how absurd her threat against an invited speaker would prove.

Walking away from the crowd that had gathered for our little dust up, I found myself alongside Marcie Winograd. "Don't you think it's abusive to inflict your political agendas on school children who are here for an education?" I asked. "But the media are all on the other side," she replied. "Even if your claim were correct," I said, "and it is not, this is not the media. This is a school. Can't you appreciate the difference?" "The media are on the other side" she repeated. I could see the whole issue was above her mental ceiling, and gave up.

The scene I had witnessed is part of a drastic change in the educational culture in America which is coming more and more to look like the educational systems in Havana and pre-liberation Iraq. It's time for the rest of us to do something about this. I have formed a national organization called Parents and Students for Academic Freedom. Information is available at (web site). Chapters are local and are independent so long as they follow our guidelines for academic freedom. Parents and students need to begin forming them now. On the website you can find a model bill of rights for your school and model legislation for your legislature. I hope by the fall to have an Academic Bill of Rights for K-12 schools, which would prevent political indoctrination in K-12 classrooms pending in several legislatures. You can help by starting chapters of Parents and Students for Academic Freedom in your school and in your state.

It's time for legislatures to take a look at the institutions they fund. The integrity of our educational system is at stake. Taxpayers do not underwrite the public schools so that political activists posing as teachers can have a captive audience for their political agendas. We need an Academic Bill of Rights for Students in the high schools, and we need it now.

---------

David Horowitz is the sponsor of Students for Academic Freedom, an organization with chapters on 150 college campuses. (web site). He is the author of the Academic Bill of Rights. His most recent book is The End of Time.

--------------------

Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.

>> Back -- Page 1 2 3 4