Education

“Vermont Parents rally against ‘Toxic Indoctrination’ in schools

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By Paul Bean

Parents, activists, and political leaders protested ‘toxic indoctrination’ in Vermont schools at a rally at the Vermont State House, Wednesday. 

See YouTube video of rally here. 

“Vermont schools and superintendents are waging war on parents and school children using our tax dollars and our state institutions,” said John Klar, a local author, lawyer, and farmer. “I’m going to make the case for fighting back for our school children from a toxic indoctrination facility…”

The meeting took place against the backdrop of recent legislative proposals and Governor Phil Scott’s transformative education funding plan, which includes consolidating Vermont’s 119 school districts into five and setting a base per-pupil funding amount.

Klar continued, “Americans have the right and the duty to raise their own children and that includes their education, their moral values, and their physical health…All three are under bold attack by Vermont’s paid government employees…this is your right, and it’s important to stand up for children because they can’t. And I can tell you some of these children rescued from this public school system are thriving, as if they’ve been taken out of an indoctrination camp, because they have!”

Yesterday’s event aimed to spotlight the role of parental voices in shaping Vermont’s public education system amid ongoing debates over funding, curriculum, and governance. Vermonters for Vermont, the main organizers of the event, was founded by Gregory Thayer, a Rutland-based conservative and former candidate for Lt. Governor.

“It’s funny because when I’ve done events in the past when the media asked me how many people I have in my organization, it’s pretty frank, I have 640,000 people because I am trying to reach every Vermonter with our message,” said Gregory Thayer. “Vermonters for Vermont is an educational platform, started in December of 2018, and back in 2021 I decided to get a little more involved and get deep with the school issue, seeing what was going on with critical race theory, I started doing town halls across the state…”

One major concern for students and parents is access to “school choice,” a policy in Vermont that allows parents and students (in specific areas) to choose their schools based on proximity, academic, and athletic needs.

“My wife and I live in Lowell, that’s right on the Lamoille County border. We wanted to send our kids to North Country. I work 40 minutes north. My wife worked at Johnson State College, we had an opportunity for our son to go to Lamoille which was only 5 minutes away from my wife,” said Representative Mark Higley. “Huge implications there for our son to achieve what he was going to achieve. As a Representative, I am certainly reached out to by a number of constituents saying hey you know Mark… we really want our son to go to North Country for their ice hockey program… it was always there was a little wiggle room for this and this new proposal should open this up.”

Representative Higley also mentioned some bills he sponsored or introduced that are aimed at giving parents more benefits, choice, and rights over their children’s education. Those bills included:

  • H.282: Driver education for students participating in the home study program
  • H.249: Income tax deduction for home study programs
  • H.54: Cell phone-free schools

“We believe parents should be involved in all decisions about their children,” said Marie Tiemann, an organizer of the event representing speak-VT, an organization dedicated to excellence, transparency, and merit-based education in Vermont. Their website says, “Our concerns are many. Chief among them are failings in academic proficiencies, while our children endure attacks on their history, race, even their sexuality starting in kindergarten — all while excluding parents from a say in our children’s education.”

“Parents have the right to be included in choices of curriculum and their children’s education,” continued Tiemann. “This event aligns with speak-VT’s mission, which is to usher our children into an education experience that’s directed by parents as quickly as possible. We do that by investigating, informing, and advocating for students, parents, and educators to achieve academics of merit that are free of political and sexual persuasion.”

Speakers at the event highlighted concerns over what they perceive as a disconnect between state-level policies and the needs of individual communities. Others expressed frustration with rising property taxes and called for greater transparency in how education funds are allocated and spent.

The gathering featured discussions about local engagement, such as engaging with local school boards and participating in upcoming legislative hearings on the Governor’s plan, as well as the bills mentioned by Rep. Higley.

Toward the end of the meeting, John Klar talked about his affiliation with Alliance Defending Freedom and their role in protecting children across the country.

“You have a right to decide whether your child gets a vaccine, an HPV vaccine, hormones, blockers, I don’t care what the Vermont statutes say, that protect medical care providers who give medicines to children,” said John Klar, wrapping the meeting up. “This is criminal in my view and I ask you to tell people…I will connect them with a lawyer so we can evaluate their cases so they can stand up with a lawyer behind them to speak truth to power, and that’s why you’re all here.”

Following the event, organizers, parents, and attendees joined together in the cafeteria to converse, ask questions, and continue their planning to best serve Vermont’s students and schools around the state.

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Categories: Education

21 replies »

  1. And still, not one word about the H.89 School Choice bill languishing in the House Education Committee. A bill that would allow all students and parents … access to “school choice,” not just those families in ‘certain areas’. If these so-called ‘activists’ really wanted to see the rubber meet the road, they would at least discuss the H.89 School Choice bill. But no… not one peep.

    I’m beginning to think they’re not interested in letting everyone have school choice – unless, of course, they control the schools. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. What other reason could there be?

    “Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don’t mean to do harm; but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves.” ― T.S. Eliot

    • Thank you for your comment, and to Rep. Higley’s words.

      Rep. Michael Tagliavia was one of my speakers at this Parents’ Rights In Education event in the State Capitol yesterday. Michael read his bill, H89. Additionally, watch the attached ORCA MEDIA video that VDC attached in the article. Michael was the first speaker.

      We even spoke about Homeschooling. Have a nice day.

      Gregory M Thayer, MBA
      Vermonters for Vermont Initiative
      V4V2018@aol.com

    • Please accept my apology – to you Mr. Thayer, especially, to Rep. Tagliavia, to the rally panel, and to all VDC readers.

      It was my shortsightedness in relying only on the VDC summary for my misguided assertions. Rep. Tagliavia’s courageous support for H.89 is most appreciated.

      In that regard, I am very familiar with Vermont’s existing school choice governance that H.89 seeks to make available to all Vermont students, not just those who happen to live in a certain zip code. If there is anything I can do to assist you and your group in this endeavor, please let me know.

      In the meantime, I will reiterate once again that Vermont’s existing School Choice Tuitioned governance works very well for those parents and their children with access to it. All that needs be done is to pass the H.89 bill that expands that access to all Vermont families.

      Again, please accept my apologies for jumping to the conclusions I did.

    • H.J. Eshelman, your comment below is worth submitting on its own as a commentary to VDC. There is so much information about bonds and corruption that I did not know, and it changes my understanding and perspective.

  2. Mr. Eshelman,
    Representative Mike Tagliavia, did present H.89/the school choice bill.
    Thanks,
    Rep. Higley

    • Rep. Higley, thank you for responding to my less than thoroughly researched and unfortunate remarks. I want to take this opportunity to reiterate the apology I expressed above, to you too, and to offer my support in any way you might deem appropriate.

  3. You will not get school choice because the public school system is funded by bonding debt and there is major fraud in the bond markets. Changing the system could destroy the bond market. Your house and land are being used as collateral. You will own nothing and you will be happy. Someone needs to get the total education bond debt that is a Vermont taxpayer obligation. There are some states looking to end the property tax. The fact that you can steal grandmas house with property taxes after she paid off a mortgage for thirty years is a criminal act.

    • Mr. Day, the H.89 School Choice bill doesn’t change the system.

      School Choice Tuition vouchers are already available to families in 90 or so Vermont school districts.

      In fact, Vermont’s existing Tuitioning program is the oldest School Choice system in the U.S.. In my district, our 7th & 8Th grade School Choice program has been successful for decades. My children took advantage of the ‘Tuitioning’ governance and it is still the most popular education program in our district.

      The H.89 School Choice bill simply seeks to expand that access to all Vermont families.

      If you have any specific concerns about Vermont’s existing School Choice, please let me know.

  4. Gee, maybe that’s why home schooling is busting the public school system, and is on its way to saving Vermont from arrogant, historical revisionist, mind numbing socialism. “You will own nothing and like it.”

  5. The tax payers are funding school choice and this is not solving the bonding problem. The problem is the system and i can see a large number of confused people. H. J. E. has confirmed what i had said in a previous statement that H.89 will not change the system. We should spend more time finding out who is buying the bonds and if any bonds are ever paid off.

    • Mr. Day, et al.:
      Understanding Vermont’s current education system is tantamount to our ability to effectively change it. And I sincerely hope that you and all VDC readers will take the time to do the research and avoid knee-jerk reactions similar to my recent tirade about H.89 not being sufficiently discussed.

      Not only are taxpayers funding Vermont’s existing School Choice program, we’re supporting the public-school monopoly too. But ‘bond’ issues are important.

      First, we have school construction bonds that are primarily for new public-school buildings (bricks and mortar) and public-school improvements. These bonds are paid, primarily, by the school districts in which the construction occurs, although State taxpayers do provide a percentage of that support through what has in the past been up to a 30% Construction Aid package. And yes, the school district and the State typically sell bonds to finance its local share and the State Construction Aid. And there are some current claims that the State pilfers other programs, e.g., the infamous Tax Increment Financing (TIF), to fund its charade.

      If you want to delve into the weeds, check out this STATE AID FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION IN VERMONT report. https://ljfo.vermont.gov/assets/docs/reports/f12c1e69fc/2008-01-State-Aid-for-School-Construction.pdf

      Are your concerns warranted. You bet. When I served on one of our local school boards, our supervisory union hatched a scheme to build a new school in order to take State Construction Aid funds to repay an illegal (unreported) school deficit it had accrued. It’s a sordid tale that went right to the State legislature that covertly increased State Construction Aid in the last bill passed during its session from 30% to over 50%. Of course, it was no coincidence that the Speaker of The House at that time was from our supervisory union school district.

      But the ‘bond elephants’ in the room are those that support the public education system’s retirement benefits. These are rarely, if ever, included in the annual budget you approve every year. And they are abusive because they are ‘defined benefit’ programs as opposed to the ‘defined contribution’ retirement packages most of us, including independent school employees, have from working in the private sector. And I’ll be happy to discuss the differences between these retirement programs if anyone wants to do so.

      Do I think financial shenanigans are less common today? Not a chance. Vermont education system financing is as corrupt today as you can imagine. But I digress.

      We are currently in the middle of this swamp and we’re going to have to continue to walk through it in order to escape from it. The question is, in what direction do we go. The point I make about the H.89 School Choice bill is that it opens the escape hatch to all Vermont families. And I believe it’s in our combined best interest to fund that get-a-way. If we don’t, not only will the current corruption continue, it will increase until we reach total insolvency (i.e., bankruptcy).

      And this explains why the education special interest cartels oppose School Choice. Again – it’s complicated. And it is a racket. H.89 is the least complicated way I can think of to begin to extract ourselves from it. And not only will its School Choice provisions improve student outcomes, it will stabilize (if not lower) taxpayer costs.

      My final concern, in this regard, is that even our legislators, including the others on this panel discussion, don’t really understand how the current system works. And if we don’t know how it works, we can’t change it.

    • Jay,

      Truly many don’t know how it works, there are a few that do, and they know well how it works/doesn’t work. Many times, in business, government and any organization, all the troops do not get the master plan. But if you look at what they are doing it gives a good indication of direction/heart/thought, to which most people miss. They are fooled by the rhetoric. This is part of the education process that has been purposely removed from academia.

      Because an honest reflection would be, hey, how can we improve and do it for a bit less money? How can we be open to new ideas/old ideas that worked? And it’s by far more protectionist/defensive than, what’s best for the children. It’s like a bad divorce, where a domineering parent, wants total control of money and child activities to control the other.

      As I’m saying/typing this….it’s exactly like that. Manipulating the public via their child and money. Sad…but true.

  6. Thank you H. J. E. for your follow up comment and hope you enjoy another six percent increase on your property taxes. Next on the list of things to investigate will be appraisal fraud.

    • The ‘list’ of things to investigate is endless. Be my guest. And I look forward to seeing your detailed anlaysis.

  7. Appraisal Fraud is the process of taxing property on capital gains that do not exist or have not been obtained.

  8. It is not true that homeschooled children underperform public school students. More and more studies show the exact opposite. Black homeschooled students on average score higher on standard aptitude tests than their public school counterparts. Homeschooled kids are less likely to experience anxiety and depression. In the UK and elsewhere, people are flocking to homeschooling to escape public school failings. Performance in core subjects has been steadily declining in Vermont for years in tandem with “social justice” political indoctrination that was never pitched to parents but simply unilaterally implemented by the NEA and our “progressive” legislature. Our daughter was partly homeschooled, and graduated Summa Cum Laude on a full scholarship at Middlebury. Public schools are failing our children despite ever higher spending. VT has lost 30% of its student body since 2000, but not a single superintendent position. Soon, the schools will just be gathering places for overpaid bureaucrats to twiddle their thumbs and fret about why everybody stayed home. The answer is obvious, even to a child.

  9. “…shaping Vermont’s public education system…” ? OR — erase the problem, Privatize schooling — Get out of the schooling business. Instead of the state pursuing its interest in an educated constituency by running schooling businesses, invest in learners directly. Relinquish the confiscated funds to parents; let them contract with teachers for the schooling services that match the needs of their kids.

  10. Interesting discussions. What was discussed about hiding things with bond dept is done on a regular basis in many areas of the state.

    A) Why is education so important? B) Who is it most important for? C) What is the playing field? D) Who is in control of the playing field and why? E) What keeps teachers coming back? F) What keeps the system together and impenetrable?

    In reverse order…

    F) What keeps the system together and impenetrable?

    Money and cancel culture. People aren’t allowed to teach biology or apparently logic in schools. They are offered the highest paying job, best benefits and by far best retirement in the state. Nobody wants to give that up. Nobody is talking about the pay, all benefits given in a yearly sum, including retirement. Teachers would be stunned to learn how much their benefits are and the cost of what they are. This alone would bring about a revolution within. Taxpayers and students are not the only ones trapped, so too are teachers.

    E) What keeps teachers coming back?

    Pay and no other job opportunities that come close. We have not highlighted and brought to everyone’s attention how generous Vermont citizens truly are. Doing so would bring equity to the table……a favored word, needing a turnabout. Threat of cancel culture

    D) Who is in control of the playing field and why?

    Perhaps a better way to word it is, who is not in control. Students, Families, Tax Payers, most teachers. That’s a lot of people directly affected by such a poor system. Perhaps we are appealing to the wrong people? Perhaps we are looking toward the wrong people for change? Having been in the housing market for years and to affordable housing summits, meeting, etc. I can assure you that those in charge want Zero change and Zero opportunity for people to own a modest home. Why? Why would anybody be against that? They are making TOO MUCH money from scamming the system. They can build homes $500/sq ft., have state permitting green lit, have renters subsidized regardless of income. It’s an insider game nobody wants to give up. This insider game is the heart of Marxism, a controlled market, those who control the market make bank and are protected by the bureaucracy.

    Dig a bit deeper and you find the cornerstone to subversion is educating and entire generation, 20 years into marxist ideology. You can’t do subversion without the school system. Mao is a classic example, out with the three olds. This is perhaps the most important societal reason for change, we are losing our republic. Hell, we don’t even know it’s supposed to be a republic, see how effective?

    C) What is the playing field, the players.

    National lobbyists, Vermont Press, national organizations, local lobbyists, non-profits, entire political parties, most all of the politicians, teachers, school boards, bond holders, nobody in control wants what is currently in place changed. I’m all about the bad news bears, but that is quite a formidable adversary. To go for a frontal assault no matter how valid and truthful the cause might be difficult at best.
    1) Could your turn them on themselves…..perhaps. That would be far more effective.
    2) Could you appeal to those who are not in control?
    3) Could you offer something different? There are no other choices currently for the majority of the cash strapped public/teacher or parent for something different.

    B) Who is this system most important for?

    United Nations, Agenda 21, one world government, marxists….but I’m repeating myself. In a state that is supposedly independent minded we follow the mandates pretty closely. Perhaps a chink in the armor could be found here.

    Obviously, those in power and receiving the massive amounts of money. But these are in military terms, considered the useful idiots, doing the bidding of those doing the subversion and having a nice life because of it.

    A) Why is education so important?

    It’s the foundation of a country, a person, a family, it gives them a way to navigate through life and deal with the problems in a constructive and healthy way. Now this is the true Achillies heal of our current educational system. It doesn’t serve the people well. It does train on some aspects, technical aspects that are hard to get in other places, accounting, engineering, etc. come to mind.

    However, one of the most important things that is banned in all oligarchies, theocracies and dictatorships, is the Holy Bible….filled with more wisdom than Harvard could ever dream up. It helps people discern liars and thieves, a much-needed skill these days.

    If you want a maxist turn over, you have to take over the educational system.
    If you want a great country, you have to give people the tools to navigate life, expectations and skills to navigate the problems in the world. We are in the former category and hence our problem.

  12. The central banks are in control and do it thru debt servitude. Bonding debt in Vermont is money laundering with phony appraisals. Bloomfield Vermont just did a updated appraisal. One parcel of land about thirteen acres of land nearly doubled in value. This land has not been sold at this new value and will be taxed at this speculation new value. No capital gains can be had until this land is sold. You are being taxed on capital gains that have not been obtained by the owner. Town debt and educational funding is being bonded by this process. I have properties in southern Vermont that increased in value with no capital improvements to justify the increase.