Yesterday, see below, we sent out an article about how the Alaska Legislature’s Task Force on Education Funding is encroaching on the rights of parents to raise their children. Here is the Action Alert to engage. Onward !
PARENTS, NOT GOVERNMENT!
Alaska’s Education Task Force Needs to Hear From You — Testimony Starts Tomorrow – Thursday, November 12!
Who should decide what Alaska’s children are taught — parents or government?
Alaska’s Legislative Task Force on Education Funding has released recommendations that raise important questions about curriculum standards, correspondence education, and parental authority.
At Alaska Family Council, we believe parents must remain free to direct their children’s education, including education consistent with their religious convictions.
Here are some talking points to consider when testifying:
- WE WILL NOT GO BACK TO GOVERNMENT-RUN SCHOOLS AS OUR ONLY OPTION! Alaska families deserve meaningful educational choices.
- PARENTS DON’T WANT OR NEED GOVERNMENT TELLING THEM HOW TO RAISE THEIR CHILDREN!
- OUR CHILDREN DO NOT BELONG TO THE STATE! Parents have the primary responsibility for their upbringing.
- PROTECT HOMESCHOOL FREEDOM! Curriculum choices should respect parental authority and religious liberty.
- NO IDEOLOGICAL STRINGS ATTACHED! Public education policies should not force families to abandon sincerely held religious beliefs.
The task force’s proposals have not become law, and they do not currently ban Christian curriculum. This public comment period is an opportunity to ask lawmakers to protect educational freedom explicitly.
Testify in Person :
| Location | Thursday, Nov. 12 | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Anchorage LIO | 9 a.m.–Noon | 1500 W. Benson Blvd. |
| Fairbanks LIO | 1–3 p.m. | 1292 Sadler Way, Suite 308 |
| Juneau Capitol | 3–5 p.m. | 120 4th St., Room 106 |
| Kenai LIO | 5–7 p.m. | 145 Main Street Loop, Suite 217 |
Testify by phone:
Anchorage area: 907-563-9085
Juneau area: 907-586-9085
Everywhere else in Alaska: 844-586-9085.
Remote testimony will be taken after in-person testimony at each location is exhausted.
Written testimony:
Email TFEF@akleg.gov or edfundtaskforce@akleg.gov by December 8, 2026.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” Psalm 127:3
Alaska’s Christian Parents Are Not Asking Government for Permission to Raise Their Children
By Alaska Family Council | Opinion
Who ultimately has the authority to determine what our children are taught — parents or government?
That question should concern every Christian family in Alaska as recommendations from the Legislature’s Task Force on Education Funding raise troubling questions about increased government oversight of homeschooling and curriculum.
At Alaska Family Council, we believe this debate goes far beyond education funding. It strikes at the heart of religious liberty, parental authority, and the biblical responsibility God has entrusted to mothers and fathers.
Our children do not belong to the state.
Scripture is clear. Deuteronomy 6:6–7 instructs parents to diligently teach God’s commandments to their children. Ephesians 6:4 calls fathers to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
These responsibilities were entrusted to parents, not government bureaucracies.
For Christian families, education isn’t simply about reading, writing, and mathematics. It’s about shaping character, developing wisdom, and understanding truth through a biblical worldview.
When parents select curriculum affirming that human beings are created in God’s image, that marriage is between a man and a woman, or that unborn children possess inherent dignity, they are exercising fundamental freedoms.
Those freedoms must never depend on government approval.
The task force’s recommendations include defining an “adequate education” through standards addressing curriculum, cultural responsiveness, and other educational objectives.
But who decides what constitutes an adequate education when the state’s preferred values conflict with a family’s religious convictions?
Could Christian homeschooling families eventually face pressure to adopt curriculum contradicting their beliefs? Could government funding become leverage for imposing ideological conformity?
The recommendations do not themselves prohibit Christian curriculum. But their potential implications deserve serious scrutiny before lawmakers act.
The U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized parental educational rights. In Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925), the Court rejected government efforts to require public schooling. In Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972), it protected Amish families against certain educational requirements conflicting with their religious convictions.
These decisions remind us that government authority over education has constitutional limits.
Alaska Family Council supports academic excellence, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and meaningful educational accountability.
But accountability must never become an excuse for government to replace parents as the ultimate decision-makers in their children’s upbringing.
Alaska’s homeschooling and correspondence programs have provided extraordinary opportunities for families, particularly in rural communities. We should be expanding educational freedom, not creating uncertainty about whether families can continue teaching according to their faith.
We urge lawmakers to explicitly safeguard religious liberty, parental curriculum choices, and homeschooling independence in any education reforms.
Christian parents and pastors must remain vigilant and engaged.
The freedom to educate our children according to biblical convictions is not a privilege granted by politicians. It is a fundamental liberty government must respect.
At Alaska Family Council, we will continue defending that freedom.
Because when government assumes authority that belongs to parents, far more than educational policy is at stake.
Our religious liberty — and the hearts and minds of the next generation — hang in the balance.
(AI was used in the creation of this piece.)