When George Orwell wrote 1984, he probably didn’t envision school districts adopting his concept of “doublethink” as a core policy principle. Yet here we are, watching institutions like Walled Lake Consolidated Schools master the art of saying one thing and doing another, all while gaslighting parents into believing their rights are being respected. The promise of opt-outs for controversial topics is dangled before parents like a carrot, but when the rubber meets the road, these promises vanish in the fog of bureaucratic doublespeak.
Take, for instance, the recent email from Walled Lake Northern High School’s principal, cheerfully informing parents about an upcoming assembly on the dangers of fentanyl. Of course, parents were given the option to opt their children out of this presentation. Opting out of a program designed to save lives and prevent overdoses? Unlikely anyone would. It’s a policy everyone can agree with—kids shouldn’t die from fentanyl. The district pats itself on the back for being transparent and respectful of parental choice.
But what happens when the content veers into the social and moral realm, touching on subjects many families find deeply personal and, in some cases, objectionable? The school’s facade of respect for parental autonomy crumbles.
The Rogue Sex-Ed Incident
Consider the case of Walled Lake Northern’s teacher, who, in defiance of both professional boundaries and parental rights, read aloud from his own sexually explicit novel during class. According to Walled Lake Citizens for Parental Rights (source), this novel graphically depicted a relationship between an adult and a minor. Parents who had explicitly opted their children out of certain sexual education materials discovered that their wishes had been disregarded. The district’s response? Superintendent Michael Lonze is brushing off concerns about sexual harassment and ignoring the rights of parents to shield their children from inappropriate material.
This is not an isolated case. Instead, it is a pattern of behavior that underscores the district’s true priorities. Parents are permitted to opt their children out of programs that are politically neutral and widely supported. But when it comes to the district’s agenda of social engineering—whether through rogue sex-ed, ideological readings, or biased classroom discussions—the right to opt-out disappears.
Gaslighting Parents
What makes this hypocrisy particularly insidious is the way it’s framed. Parents are told their voices matter, that opt-outs exist to ensure their values are respected. Yet, when those same parents raise objections to content they find offensive or age-inappropriate, they are treated as nuisances or, worse, extremists who simply don’t understand what’s “best” for their children.
This gaslighting isn’t just dishonest—it’s damaging. It erodes trust between parents and schools, turning what should be a partnership into a battleground. Schools are supposed to serve the community, not dictate to it. By prioritizing their own ideological goals over parental input, Walled Lake Consolidated Schools is undermining the very foundation of public education.
The Bigger Picture
This issue is not unique to Walled Lake. Across the nation, parents are finding that their rights to guide their children’s education are being trampled in the name of progressivism. From sexually explicit materials in classrooms to politicized curricula, the opt-out hypocrisy is a symptom of a larger problem: the erosion of parental authority.
When schools decide that they know better than parents—when they defend teachers who cross moral and professional boundaries—it’s not just a breach of trust. It’s an assault on the family itself.
A Call to Action
Parents must demand consistency and transparency from their school districts. If opt-outs exist for assemblies on fentanyl, they must also exist for controversial or explicit materials. If teachers are held accountable for inappropriate behavior in one area, they must be held accountable in all areas. And if administrators like Michael Lonze are unwilling to respect parental rights, they should be replaced with leaders who will.
The time for polite disagreement is over. It’s time for parents to speak up, organize, and fight for their rights. Walled Lake Schools and districts like it need to understand that parents are not just stakeholders—they are the primary educators and guardians of their children.
Anything less is an abdication of responsibility—and a betrayal of trust.
Citations:
• Walled Lake Citizens for Parental Rights. “Walled Lake Northern Teacher Reading Inappropriate Books to Students.” Accessed January 18, 2025. https://www.wlcpr.org/post/walled-lake-northern-teacher-reading-inappropriate-books-to-students.
• Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1949.
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