Education

As the first person in my immediate family to graduate from high school and college, Ketron High School, East Tennessee State University respectively, I understand how a high-quality education can lead to greater financial security and success. In my role as a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, I will work to support legislation and federal policies that serve each student’s unique learning needs while seeking to strengthen and expand on the many potential pathways to success, including apprenticeships, trade and technical schools, and traditional higher education options.

I strongly support school choice and educational freedoms. Students and their families should be empowered with the freedom to choose their own educational pathways to best meet their individual learning needs and goals for future success in our workforce. Further, I understand that local leaders know what is best for their communities and believe that education decisions should be made at the state and local level.

I am concerned about federal government interference in our K-12 schools and our children’s curriculum. Radical ideologies such as critical race theory (CRT) have been promoted by the Biden Administration and can damage the development of students and threaten relationships for Americans of all races.

Therefore, I am aggressively supporting multiple measures to oppose the propagation of critical race theory in our K-12 classrooms. I have joined many of my congressional colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Education requesting that the agency immediately cease grant funding for the promotion of critical race theory. I also added my name in support of H.Res. 397 which expresses the sentiment of the U.S. House of Representatives that critical race theory is a prejudicial tool rather than an educational tool and, as such, should not be taught in our K-12 classrooms.

I am also committed to keeping obscene teachings out of our schools.

Which is why I, along with fellow Tennessean Rep. Mark Green, introduced the H.R. 7269 – NOT in Our Schools Act to prohibit schools that have violated state laws on harmful material for children from receiving federal funds. Our children should not be subjected to explicit materials, and the federal government should not be rewarding schools that violate laws put in place by their state.

I also co-sponsored H.R. 6056 – Parents Bill of Rights Act to ensure parents are given an understanding about what is happening in their child’s school and require full curriculum transparency posted publicly online.

While college is not the best option for every student, helping make college more affordable for East Tennesseans who desire a college education is a priority of mine. To support college affordability for East Tennesseans, I signed a letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Appropriation’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education requesting strong support for Federal TRIO Programs. These eight federal programs identify and provide higher education services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.