Commentary: Yes, the organization suing our school district is not a grassroots parent group but a Koch/Leo front. No, that does not mean we should want to “bring it on” and ignore concerned parents.

Right-wing billionaires make Croton-Harmon schools their latest target. A liberal school board member reportedly proclaims “Bring it on!” Is this what we really want? And who will pay our lawyers?

Nicole Neily, President and Founder of Parents Defending Education

Shortly after the national organization Parents Defending Education (PDE) sued the Croton-Harmon school district, its Board of Education, and a number of named school official and Board members in federal court, a well-known liberal member of the Board reportedly proclaimed loudly in front of others at the Black Cow, “Bring it on!”

This particular Board member, and many other liberal and progressive activists in Croton, probably already knew that PDE is not really a “grassroots organization” as it proclaims itself to be. Rather, it is funded by right-wing billionaires who have created a number of organizations to attack public schools across the United States. PDE, founded in 2021, is one of the newer ones. Others include Moms for Liberty, the Leadership Institute, Turning Point USA, Moms for America, and so forth.