WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-09) wants to end indoctrination in the classroom and fund students, not systems. Bishop recently introduced two bills to that end.
“If a school doesn’t have your child’s best interest at heart, then your family should be able to choose one that does. No mask mandates and no divisive CRT teachings if you don’t want it,” Bishop wrote on Facebook, including the hashtag #FundStudentsNotSystems.
According to Bishop’s news release, the Mask Off Act and the No CRT Act “will bring American families much-needed school choice.”
“The Mask Off Act would allow children who live in school districts where mask mandates are in place to be eligible for Opportunity Grants to seek alternative educational options,” the release reads.
The No CRT Act would allow students who attend schools advancing Critical Race Theory to also be eligible.
The bills include “Opportunity Grants” that will be paid for by redirecting 10% of appropriated funding from Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The grants will be “means-tested” and will mirror annual income. The grants could be used for tuition at a private school or costs associated with homeschooling, learning pods and microschools.
“We applaud Congressman Bishop’s continued leadership on school choice. These bills will reallocate a small percentage of federal K-12 dollars to give families in need greater educational freedom and opportunity. We believe all families should be able to choose the best educational environment for their child and would urge Congress to use federal resources to fund students not systems,” said the American Federation for Children in a press release.
It is unlikely either measure will progress very far in the U.S. House, if at all, with Democrats in the majority over Republicans 220-212.
Earlier this year, Bishop introduced two related bills, the Stop CRT Act and the Combatting Racist Training in the Military Act.
The Stop CRT Act seeks to ban the use of federal funds from being used to promote, train or teach Critical Race Theory (CRT). The act contains language similar to that of North Carolina House Bill 324, which sought to block political indoctrination and racial discrimination in K-12 schools through compelled promotion of certain ideologies. House Bill 324 was vetoed on Sept. 10 by Gov. Roy Cooper.
