New Hampshire residents overwhelmingly want parents to have more say in education: Poll
Ryan King
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A robust majority of New Hampshire voters across the political spectrum want parents to have the final say in key decisions regarding their children’s education, a new poll found.
The NHJournal/Coefficient poll found that 67% of those surveyed would be more inclined to back a political candidate in local elections who supports parents’ rights, underscoring how education is becoming key in the battleground state as presidential candidates begin to flock there.
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“There’s real, local fights going on right now. School boards, state legislatures, and these candidates … have an opportunity right now to try to advance the ball,” Adam Waldeck, founder of 1776 Action, told the Washington Examiner.
1776 Action, a group that fights for increased parental rights in classrooms, has circulated the poll to about 11 possible presidential campaigns and heard back from seven already, indicating interest among contenders, according to Waldeck.
During the last session of the state legislature, state Republicans sought to pass a bill expanding parental rights but came up short. In this session, the legislature is poised to take up HB10, also known as the “Parental Bill of Rights,” which is intended to address some of the matters raised in the poll.
Across the board, the NHJournal/Coefficient poll found that Granite State voters side with the parents over administrators on K-12 curriculum, health-related decisions of students, sex and gender topics, having the right to review their children’s curriculum, and allowing parents to vote to remove a superintendent or principal.
Some 59% of voters said parents should have the final say in the K-12 curriculum taught in the classroom, and 82%, including 76% of Democrats and 87% of Republicans, said parents should have the right to review the curriculum.
On the divisive culture war subject of whether parents should be informed about gender matters affecting their child, 78% said parents should be notified, including 61% of Democrats. Notably, Manchester public schools do not always divulge that information to parents, which has sparked a debate within New Hampshire.
Views on gender echo findings about healthcare more broadly. About 80% said parents should be the ultimate arbiter of their child’s healthcare decisions.
Voters also believe that parents should be able to cast a vote on whether or not to oust a principal or superintendent. Some 68% of respondents backed that concept, including 87% of conservatives, 59% of moderates, and 37% of liberals.
Multiple speculated Republican presidential hopefuls have sought to cast themselves as a champion of parental rights, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH), who is also mulling a 2024 bid, previously opposed an iteration of a so-called parental rights bill. Given New Hampshire’s position as the second stop in the GOP primary after the Iowa caucuses, local matters such as education could have an outsize influence on presidential contenders.
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Waldeck believes that some of the most important battle lines for this issue will take place at the local level.
“The reality is if we’re going to fix the country, it’s going to have to be a team effort that goes all the way down. And I think in many ways, the battle sort of for the future of the country is going to be won in the school boards,” he said.
The poll was conducted from Feb. 7 to 9 and surveyed 1,058 likely voters in the Granite State with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.51 percentage points. Respondents were roughly one-third Republican, one-third Democratic, and one-third independent.