FOF's Dobson calls on parents to leave public schools

Church & State, Jun 2002

Radio broadcaster and "Christian psychologist" James C. Dobson, founder of the large and influential Religious Right group Focus on the Family, recently called on parents to pull their children out of public schools.

The move was seen as significant because while Dobson has been sharply critical of public education for years and has advocated government funding of private religious schools and home schooling, he has always stopped short of advocating a total pull-out from public schools.

The Colorado-based Religious Right leader made the comments during an interview with Pat Buchanan that aired March 28 on FOF's daily radio broadcast (cohosted by John Fuller). Buchanan and Dobson were discussing public education in California when Dobson said, "Pat, I'm going to say something now that's going to surprise some of our listeners because I've never said it before. First time, John. I've been on the air here with Focus on the Family for 25 years, it's the first time I've said this. But in the state of California and places that have moved in the direction that they've gone with the schools, if I had a child there, I wouldn't put that youngster in the public schools.

"I've been very careful," he continued, "not to be negative to the public schools because there are many Christian teachers that are struggling mightily to do what's right there, and I haven't wanted to put pressure on them, but given the fact that in every classroom in the state for 13 public school years they're being taught homosexual propaganda and these other politically correct, postmodern views, I think it's time to get our kids out. And I'm going to get hit for that, and, you know, that's the way it is."

Buchanan was quick to agree, asserting that children's souls were at stake and "they [public schools] are poisoning that."

Several days later, controversial radio counselor Laura Schlessinger endorsed Dobson's call.

"I stand with Dr. James Dobson," Schlessinger said. "Take your kids out of public schools." Fundamentalist Christian broadcaster Marlin Maddoux also told listeners that he backs the anti-public school drive.

Syndicated columnist Cal Thomas, noting the new opposition from Schlessinger and Dobson, quickly jumped on the bandwagon.

In April he wrote, "[They] now say many government schools are beyond reform and need to be abandoned. They're right."

On April 30 Dobson reiterated his call to abandon public schools during an appearance on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" program. Asked about his comments by conservative host Sean Hannity, Dobson replied, "I said let me simply say, not for everybody, but if it were my child in California, where they're teaching homosexual propaganda, starting with kindergarten, 5-year-old children sitting on the floor, hearing about adult perverse behavior, I would get my kid out of there."

The "homosexual propaganda" that Dobson is referring to is actually legislation signed into law last year by Gov. Gray Davis that adds sexual orientation to a list of forms of discrimination that are banned in California public schools. The legislation was designed to give schools new tools to combat bullying and harassment of gay students.

After the measure became law, a California Department of Education Task Force devised a series of recommendations to implement its provisions. One recommendation calls for including material about gay and bisexual figures in history in the curriculum "when appropriate" and in an "age-appropriate and culturally sensitive" manner.

Far-right activists who oppose all government involvement in public education are using Dobson's statement to boost their cause. Marshall Fritz, head of a fringe group called the Separation of School and State Alliance, hailed Dobson's comments. "With [this] courageous and insightful statement, Dr. Dobson joins the millions of Americans who have concluded that many public schools are no place to train new generations of Americans," Fritz said in a statement.

Fritz, who advocates abolishing public schools outright, sponsors an online petition calling for an end to public education. He claims support from several Religious Right activists, among them D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries; Tim LaHaye, author of the popular "Left Behind" book series, and Domino's Pizza magnate Thomas Monaghan. (Only about 16,000 people have signed Fritz's petition, and several hundred signers are from abroad.)

Some anti-public school activists believe the new onslaught of support from the Religious Right marks a turning point.

But the American public, it would seem, does not agree. Despite decades of anti-public school propaganda emanating from the Religious Right, 90 percent of Americans with school-aged children send them to public institutions, a figure that has remained steady for years. Furthermore, polls show most Americans giving favorable grades to the public school their own children attend.