Just curious, open schools & government relations/lobbyists?

[Anonymous]

Am just curious. Local open school groups seems to include lots of parents who happen to be lobbyists. Is this just because we have lots of lobbyists in this area? Are any working for a client in their open schools advocacy?

[Anonymous]

Hmmmmm. What do you think?

There sure are a lot of people yelling about school vouchers with jobs on the Hill, aren’t there? It’s almost like it isn’t really about open schools at all.

There are some interesting connections between the Arlington and Fairfax groups too.

[Anonymous]

How do you know they are lobbyists? I think many of us are just normal people/parents advocating for the needs of our children to be taught in-person by a teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know they are lobbyists? I think many of us are just normal people/parents advocating for the needs of our children to be taught in-person by a teacher.

ISome of the other parents who are very active are registered lobbyists for their profession.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmmm. What do you think?

There sure are a lot of people yelling about school vouchers with jobs on the Hill, aren’t there? It’s almost like it isn’t really about open schools at all.

There are some interesting connections between the Arlington and Fairfax groups too.

Tell us more. I know a very vocal APE is a lobbyist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmmm. What do you think?

There sure are a lot of people yelling about school vouchers with jobs on the Hill, aren’t there? It’s almost like it isn’t really about open schools at all.

There are some interesting connections between the Arlington and Fairfax groups too.

The open schools group is backed by voucher and anti union groups. I am not saying that all members of open schools support that. TO be honest, I think a lot don't know or are being willfully blind to it because they like the public message. I really want our schools open 4/5 days a week too, but also don't support a lot of the anti union pro voucher rhetoric.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmmm. What do you think?

There sure are a lot of people yelling about school vouchers with jobs on the Hill, aren’t there? It’s almost like it isn’t really about open schools at all.

There are some interesting connections between the Arlington and Fairfax groups too.

The open schools group is backed by voucher and anti union groups. I am not saying that all members of open schools support that. TO be honest, I think a lot don't know or are being willfully blind to it because they like the public message. I really want our schools open 4/5 days a week too, but also don't support a lot of the anti union pro voucher rhetoric.

Prove it other than using that one random blog post.

OP, there was an entire article in I forget which publication about local lobbyist parents learning to use their skills to advocate for open schools. It's not nefarious. It's just that they had this skillset, they saw what they believed to be a problem (closed schools), and they took their skillset to the problem. Wouldn't you, if you were in the same boat?

[Anonymous]

I think the anti-union/pro-voucher vibe comes from a belief that teacher unions were/are the main obstacle to opening schools for in-person learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the anti-union/pro-voucher vibe comes from a belief that teacher unions were/are the main obstacle to opening schools for in-person learning.

Which it's not- most teachers want to go back. But that doesn't support APE's narrative either...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am just curious. Local open school groups seems to include lots of parents who happen to be lobbyists. Is this just because we have lots of lobbyists in this area? Are any working for a client in their open schools advocacy?

Are you in Arlington? If yes, this happens in every major APS decision-- boundaries, school moves, curriculum changes-- you name it. The PTAs are full of lobbyist/govt relations type parents. The Open Schools movement is just a much longer process, and on a much larger scale, so you are probably noticing it more now. But it has always been that way in APS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmmm. What do you think?

There sure are a lot of people yelling about school vouchers with jobs on the Hill, aren’t there? It’s almost like it isn’t really about open schools at all.

There are some interesting connections between the Arlington and Fairfax groups too.

The open schools group is backed by voucher and anti union groups. I am not saying that all members of open schools support that. TO be honest, I think a lot don't know or are being willfully blind to it because they like the public message. I really want our schools open 4/5 days a week too, but also don't support a lot of the anti union pro voucher rhetoric.

Prove it other than using that one random blog post.

OP, there was an entire article in I forget which publication about local lobbyist parents learning to use their skills to advocate for open schools. It's not nefarious. It's just that they had this skillset, they saw what they believed to be a problem (closed schools), and they took their skillset to the problem. Wouldn't you, if you were in the same boat?

This makes sense. People who become lobbyists are used to people saying “no” to them, and continuing to fight for their goals or the goals of the group that hired them. They’re not afraid to be unliked by some, and generally can stand up to others telling them to shut up and take a seat.

Given our proximity to DC, it’s not a stretch to imagine there’s a high concentration of these people who use their acquired and/or natural skills to advocate for their own desired outcomes.

[Anonymous]

If only they could use their skill set for something that would save lives, like gun control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If only they could use their skill set for something that would save lives, like gun control.

The head of the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians said he's personally gone from admitting 1 kid every 6 months to the hospital for mental health issues to 1-2 kids a WEEK.

I think this issue matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If only they could use their skill set for something that would save lives, like gun control.

Guess what? I'm one of those lobbyist-types in APE and I also advocate for gun control, including doing lobby days on the hill and in Richmond. We are not funded by anyone and we pass the hat for any initiative that requires money.

[Anonymous]

This article is pertinent:

"Safely reopening schools became a debate about Trumpism itself when it should have been about meeting in the messy middle to discuss solutions and their related trade-offs."

(https://time.com/5954077/reopen-schools-blue-states/)

Those who want to keep this a debate about Trumpism in order to feel virtuous about keeping schools closed have to put everyone on a "side" in their preferred debate. That's why you keep hearing the loud, persistent fear from some that this is just all a GOP front.

News flash: it's not.