In an effort to fight what she claims is a corrupt culture, Bethany Mandel, a mother and conservative activist from Maryland, is a candidate for school board in her deep blue county.
The author, cultural critic, mother of six, and well-known for her opposition to “wokeness” homeschools all six of her children at the moment, but she chose to run for the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) school board in order to address what she views as a “dire” situation involving low test scores, high rates of enrolment, and violence in the district.
Mandel stated that in 2021, just 7.5% of pupils at her local elementary school demonstrated competency in English Language Arts. Due to the district’s low proficiency ratings, Mandel claimed that parents consider public schools to be a “last resort.” One acquaintance expressed her fear of sending her kids to their zoned MCPS school, citing statistical evidence that her kids would likely be “the only children in the room who are doing anything on grade level, whether it be reading, math, or science.”
“Public schools ought to be considered an alternative,” Mandel stated to News. “Our property taxes reflect that MCPS used to be one of the best school districts in the nation,” but “that is no longer the case.”
