Forcing Religious Doctrine in Public Schools
Dismantle the Department of Education
Taxpayer Money to  Religious Schools
Parents Rights in Education
Prager U and Conservative Propaganda
Religious Indoctrination of Children
Project 2025 Links

Christian Nationalism in Education

Project 2025 proposes significant changes to the education system that could have detrimental effects on children. By aiming to dismantle the Department of Education, it threatens the federal support and oversight that ensures educational standards and protections for vulnerable populations, including LGBTQ children. The initiative seeks to eliminate funding for schools that implement Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and enforce vaccine mandates, undermining efforts to create inclusive and safe learning environments. Additionally, framing education as a "states' rights" issue could exacerbate disparities across states, leading to unequal access to quality education and resources. Overall, these proposals raise serious concerns about the well-being and rights of all students.

Forcing Religious Doctrine in Public Schools

Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's Public School Corruption

Oklahoma's state superintendent of public education, Ryan Walters, has issued a directive requiring all public schools to incorporate the Bible and the Ten Commandments into their teaching starting this fall. This move follows a similar law in Louisiana mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Walters argues that understanding the Bible is essential for grasping American history and values.
Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters has initiated a controversial plan to purchase 55,000 Bibles for schools, opening bids for a contract that specifies the King James Version, along with certain historical documents. The requirement for the Bibles to be bound in leather or leather-like material limits the options available, with the “God Bless the U.S.A. Bible” endorsed by Donald Trump, potentially being a primary candidate.
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Michele Morrow and North Carolina

Michele Morrow, the republican candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction in North Carolina, is among several individuals who believe that the left is using schools to eliminate references to God and portray white people as adversaries. Like some other extreme candidates, she draws troubling comparisons between being transgender and pedophilia, instilling fear among her supporters, primarily Evangelical Christians, by portraying public schools as threats. Notably, she does not have children in public schools and previously put them at risk by attending the January 6 insurrection with them. Morrow has connections to controversial groups such as Moms for Liberty and the Proud Boys.

Dismantle the Department of Education

Trump called to dismantle the Department of Education (and that he needs Elon Musk’s help to do it) and said “we have the lowest scores almost in the world and we spend more per pupil than any other nation” - both of which are not true. We do spend second most per pupil than any other nation, but our test scores are higher than average, and the main subject Americans score poorly on is Math.

This is not a new idea, as shown in a blog called Politics of the Cross Resurrected. In a post from 2012, the blogger wrote an article called “It is time for Educational Reform: Don’t Privatize It - Parentize it”, where he brought up Mitt Romney’s proposal at the time, which aligns very similarly with goals in Project 2025, because Romney was given his own copy of the Mandate for Leadership by the Heritage Foundation.

*A not so fun note, there is the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at the Heritage Foundation. "Heritage established the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society in 2004. It is named in honor of the late Richard and Helen DeVos, whose generous contributions to Heritage and other organizations have improved civil society throughout America." They are the parents of Trump's appointed Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. They Co-founded the pyramid scheme Amway. Richard DeVos was on former President Ronald Reagan's Commission on the HIV Epidemic. During his time there, he wasn't sympathetic to their "special treatment" requests, saying, "You are responsible for your actions, too, you know. Conduct yourself properly."  

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This mandate is given to every conservative president every time they run. Romney and Trump do not come up with these ideas themselves, they vocalize them. In most cases, the Heritage Foundation comes up with these ideas. Here is an article that transcribes a (now deleted) YouTube video about him and Newt Gingrich discussing the Heritage Foundation’s mandate.

Romney Proposed:

Allow low-income and special needs students to choose schools by making funding portable.

  • Expand Education Choice Through Portability of Existing Federal Funds Setting education policy on the right track long term would require sunsetting the U.S. Department of Education altogether. Doing so would not result in fewer resources and less assistance for children with special needs or from low-income families. Rather, closing the federal behemoth would better target existing taxpayer resources already set aside for these students by shifting oversight responsibilities to federal and state agencies that have more expertise in helping these populations. (p. 349)

Encourage states to adopt policies that increase school choice and eliminate caps on charter and digital schools.

  • The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, a voucher program providing scholarships to children from low-income families living in the nation’s capital to attend a private school of choice, is capped at $20 million annually and limited to students at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty line. The maximum scholarship amount is $9,401 for students in kindergarten through eighth grade and $14,102 for students in grades nine through 12. The average scholarship amount is around $10,000, or less than half of the current per-student funding amount in D.C. Public Schools. (p. 346-347)

Expand successful programs like the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.

  • The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which provides vouchers to low-income children living in the nation’s capital—appropriate as D.C. is under the jurisdiction of Congress—should be expanded into a universal program, formula-funded, and moved to the Department of Health and Human Services (p. 326)

Allotting Taxpayer money to private religious schools

Carson v. Makin

The supreme court decision in Carson v. Makin expands public funds to be used for private schools, even religious schools.

“Forcing American taxpayers to fund private religious education—even when those private schools fail to meet education standards, intentionally discriminate against students, or use public funds to promote religious training, worship, and instruction—erodes the foundation of our democracy and harms students,” NEA President Becky Pringle said.

Trump's Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, refused to stand against Discrimination in Private Schools that receive Public Funds.

DeVos, Trump's personally appointed Secretary of Education during his first presidency, would NOT answer the question that these private religious schools that receive public funds would be able to discriminate against LGBTQ+ and religious persons. She even mentions that her department will not be making these decisions, Congress and The Supreme Court will, further echoing the same sentiment in Project 2025.

Parents’ Rights and restriction of Educational Material based on Religious Doctrine

Groups such as Moms for Liberty are banning books from school libraries that have anything to do with gender ideology or LGBTQ+ ideas, or anything about race.

  • This group began campaigning against COVID-19 responses in schools, and are influential within the Republican Party. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization that tracks extremists, termed Moms for Liberty a far-right extremist organization. They have been affiliated with the Proud Boys and the anti LGBTQ+ group Gays against Groomers

Project 2025 includes a proposal for a Parents' Bill of Rights, positioning parental rights as a primary concern.

  • Conservative groups have strongly advocated for greater parental control over school curricula, particularly regarding critical race theory and gender education, seeking to align lessons with their personal beliefs and values.
  • The proposed federal legislation may lead to increased legal conflicts between parents and schools, which can be costly and resource-draining for already-strapped educational institutions. Furthermore, implementing these laws could heighten social and political divisions within communities, fostering tensions among parents, educators, and school boards, and resulting in a contentious atmosphere in schools.
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Republican House members hold a press event to highlight the introduction in 2023. Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images

In our schools, the question of parental authority over their children’s education is a simple one: Schools serve parents, not the other way around. That is, of course, the best argument for universal school choice—a goal all conservatives and conservative Presidents must pursue. But even before we achieve that long-term goal, parents’ rights as their children’s primary educators should be non-negotiable in American schools. States, cities and counties, school boards, union bosses, principals, and teachers who disagree should be immediately cut off from federal funds.

Project 2025, page 5

PragerU

Conservative Propaganda

  • PragerU, technically an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy group, cannot officially endorse any politician. However, its content, aimed at children, promotes conservative and capitalist perspectives on a range of political, economic, and sociological issues. Despite including "university" in its name, it does not function as an academic institution.

Incorrect or extremely biased Information - Climate Change

DEFENDING SLAVERY

Prager U’s videos also hold controversial stances on immigration, the history of fascism, and anti-LGBT politics.

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An actual screenshot showing that Republicans didn’t own any slaves, trying to force a divide between the two parties when most of their values have switched.

Terrifyingly Militaristic Sunday School Songs for Kids, and the Christian School Pledge of Allegiance

  • The normalization of songs like "I’m in the Lord’s Army" in private schools and churches raises significant concerns about the messages they convey to children. These songs often glamorize military imagery—guns, airplanes, and horses—framing them in a playful context that can mask the serious implications of such themes. By presenting a metaphorical "battle" for faith, these teachings prepare children for a struggle they may not fully comprehend, embedding a combative mindset that equates religious devotion with militarism. This not only shapes their understanding of conflict but can also influence their perceptions of violence and authority in the broader societal context.
  • Kids in these schools not only pledge to the American Flag in the morning, but also the Christian Flag. 
Since the 1940s, federal lawmakers have greatly expanded these meal programs, creating an entitlement for nearly all students, regardless of family income levels, and have turned the meal programs into some of the most wasteful federal programs in Washington. Now, the USDA is threatening to withhold federal taxpayer spending for these meals from schools that do not implement Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 so that the term “sex” is replaced with “sexual orientation and gender identity” (SOGI) 
Project 2025 (p. 147)

All families should be able to take their children’s taxpayer-funded education dollars to the education providers of their choosing—whether it be a public school or a private school.
Congress should additionally deregulate the program by removing the requirement of private schools to administer the D.C. Public Schools assessment and allowing private schools to control their admissions processes.

Project 2025 (p. 347)
Restoring state and local control over education funding. As Washington begins to downsize its intervention in education, existing funding should be sent to states as grants over which they have full control, enabling states to put federal funding toward any lawful education purpose under state law.
Project 2025 (p. 322)
Qualitative research should be conducted on both types of programs to ensure continuous improvement. In addition, certain provisions should be employed so that these programs do not serve as advocacy tools to promote sex, promote prostitution, or provide a funnel effect for abortion facilities and school field trips to clinics, or for similar purposes. Parent involvement and parent–child communication should be encouraged and be a part of any funded project. Risk avoidance should be prioritized, and any program that submits a proposal that promotes risk rather than health should not be eligible for funding.
Project 2025 (p. 477)
Utilize HMRE funding or grants to provide state-level high school education resources and curriculum on healthy marriages, sexual risk avoidance, and healthy relationships. Early interventions and prevention are much more cost-effective than are efforts to reach people already in broken relationships.
Project 2025 (p. 480)
Federal lawmakers should move IDEA oversight and implementation to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Officials should then consider revising IDEA to require that a child’s portion of the federal taxpayer spending under the law be made available to families so parents can choose how and where a child learns.
Project 2025 (p. 349)
All ongoing investigations should be dropped, and all school districts affected should be given notice that they are free to drop any policy changes pursued under pressure from the Biden Administration.
Project 2025 (p. 334)
The Department of Education should develop a portal and resources for parents on their rights under FERPA and PPRA. This portal should also contain an explanation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and public school procedures to demonstrate that the law does not deprive parents of their right to access any school health records. 
Project 2025 (p. 358)
Setting education policy on the right track long term would require sunsetting the U.S. Department of Education altogether. Doing so would not result in fewer resources and less assistance for children with special needs or from low-income families. Rather, closing the federal behemoth would better target existing taxpayer resources already set aside for these students by shifting oversight responsibilities to federal and state agencies that have more expertise in helping these populations. 
Project 2025 (p. 349)
Over a 10-year period, the federal spending should be phased out and states should assume decision-making control over how to provide a quality education to children from low-income families.
Project 2025 (p. 350)
Eliminate the Head Start program. Head Start, originally established and funded to support low-income families, is fraught with scandal and abuse. With a budget of more than $11 billion, the program should function to protect and educate minors. Sadly, it has done exactly the opposite. In fact, “approximately 1 in 4 grant recipients had incidents in which children were abused, left unsupervised, or released to an unauthorized person between October 2015 and May 2020.” Research has demonstrated that federal Head Start centers, which provide preschool care to children from low-income families, have little or no long-term academic value for children. Given its unaddressed crisis of rampant abuse and lack of positive outcomes, this program should be eliminated along with the entire OHS. At the very least, the program’s COVID-19 vaccine and mask requirements should be rescinded.
Project 2025 (p. 482)
Federal lawmakers should not allow public school employees to keep secrets about a child from that child’s parents. 
Project 2025 (p. 346)
Politics that replaces biological sex with subjective notions of “gender identity” and bases a person’s worth on his or her race, sex, or other identities. This destructive dogma, under the guise of “equity,” threatens America's fundamental liberties as well as the health and well-being of children and adults alike. The next Secretary must ensure that HHS programs protect children’s minds and bodies and that HHS programs respect parents’ basic right to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children.
Project 2025 (p. 450)
By statute or regulation, CDC guidance must be prohibited from taking on a prescriptive character. For example, never again should CDC officials be allowed to say in their official capacity that school children “should be” masked or vaccinated (through a schedule or otherwise) or prohibited from learning in a school building. Such decisions should be left to parents and medical providers. We have learned that when CDC says what people “should” do, it readily becomes a “must” backed by severe punishments, including criminal penalties. CDC should report on the risks and effectiveness of all infectious disease-mitigation measures dispassionately and leave the “should” and “must” policy calls to politically accountable parties.
Project 2025 (p. 454)

The next Administration should work with Congress to provide an example to state lawmakers by requiring K–12 districts under federal jurisdiction, including Washington, D.C., public schools, Bureau of Indian Education schools, and Department of Defense schools, with legislation stating that:

Project 2025 (p. 453)