Iowa governor candidates address political agendas in schools
Two Polk County advocacy groups have the same concern: political ideology in the classroom.
Moms for Liberty and Annie’s Foundation stand on opposing sides of the debate over what should be allowed in schools and both organizations said they believe the situation has worsened over the years.
Jennifer Turner, mom and chair for Polk County’s Moms for Liberty, pulled her kid out of public school after expressing concerns and not seeing the curriculum changes she wanted. She said her nine-year-old biracial son came home upset asking for a DNA test to find out “how Black he was.”
“He was sad about being white, and I didn’t know where that was coming from. I didn’t know if it was coming from his friends or what was happening,” Turner said.
Soon after COVID-19 peaked, and his curriculum started coming home, Turner said she realized her son’s concerns weren’t coming from his friends but from his class curriculum.
“When we’re putting this in front of them and telling them they’re different because of the color of their skin, that’s where the problem lies,” she said. “People can tell me day in and day out that it’s not happening, and I get screamed at by [people on] the left all the time that I’m making it up and it’s not happening, but I lived it.”
Turner said while her son is no longer at a public school she still hears stories from moms with similar curriculum in the school district and said she believes it’s gotten worse.
Annie’s Foundation was formed in response to Polk counties Mom’s of Liberty challenging two books from the school district: “The Hate U Give” and “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.”
The debate expanded statewide with Senate File 496, a 2023 law restricting certain books in school libraries, limiting some instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation, and requiring parental notification when students request accommodations related to their gender identity.
Sara Parris, mom and president of Annie’s Foundation, said at first she thought it was ridiculous and then she realized similar situations were happening across the state. She said in 2024 3,400 books had been removed from Iowa schools, and now it is at least 5,000.
“We’ve seen a Moms for Liberty member try to weaponize that and remove all the books from her 10th grade son’s English curriculum that weren’t written by white people because apparently, that’s divisive,” Parris said.
Turner responded to these claims and said they weren’t true, and said the reason they were concerned was the book’s sexual content. She said 10th grade students had to read “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” out loud in class with scenes including sexual content.
Parris said parents can always just ask for their student to not read something and be offered alternative materials. She also said that school is a good place to engage with more controversial ideas where teachers can help guide conversation.
Classroom ideology debate enters gubernatorial race
Now both Turner and Parris look to the Iowa gubernatorial race to see changes come to the state, with both candidates saying they plan to address political ideology in the classroom.
“Like most Iowa parents we want to focus on math and reading, not political agendas from either extreme,” Democrat gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand said in a campaign ad.
During an interview posted on social media, Kailee Coleman, an Iowa children’s book author, asked Sand if he would fight book bans in Iowa. He said if Iowa legislators tried to do any more book bans he would veto them.
Both Parris and Turner said they were unsure of what Sands’ position was.
Parris said she aligned more with Sand but he as not said enough about whether he would try to reverse the book’s bans.
“He has stated that he certainly wouldn’t advocate for more, but we would hope for more,” she said.
Turner said she contacted Sand to meet with Mom’s for Liberty and didn’t hear back. She said she still doesn’t know exactly what Sand wants to keep out of the classroom.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn has said he wants to revoke teaching licenses for educators who push their political viewpoints in the classroom.
“Too many schools today teach kids to hate our country, our history and our religion. When I’m governor, we will reclaim the curriculum from the Marxists who’ve hijacked it,” Lahn said in a campaign ad.
Turner called the Marxist statement broad and said it’s not all teachers.
“It’s a select few teachers who ruin it for the rest,” she said.
Turner did agree the ideology she often sees in the classroom is anti-capitalism and the idea America is a bad place.
“Our classes should show both sides of things,” she said. “People have different experiences with America and may see things differently, but both sides of anything are never presented to these classes. That’s where the problem lies.”