School-board candidates who campaigned on parental rights see mixed results, a sampling by Ballotpedia finds

Tiffany Justice of Moms for Liberty, at the lectern, says her group
has chapters in 42 states. (Photo by Octavio Jones, Getty Images)

"Conservative candidates who ran for school boards saying they would change what students learn about race, sex and gender, or who opposed Covid protocols, saw mixed results in Tuesday’s election, according to supporters and a sampling of nationwide results," reports Ben Chapman of The Wall Street Journal, citing a sampling of 361 races by Ballotpedia, a nonpartisan election site.

Ballotpedia found that about 36 percent of candidates who opposed schools' Covid-19 protocols, "diversity initiatives or the use of gender-neutral learning materials, won their elections," Chapman reports. "About 28% of winning candidates in the analysis supported those policies or efforts. That percentage is down from elections in April and November 2021, according to Ballotpedia. About a third of candidates in Tuesday’s election analysis didn’t take clear positions on these issues, according to the site."

Chapman notes, "Many candidates received financial support from political-action committees outside their local school communities or from advocacy groups, a relatively new feature in school board elections." The conservative 1776 Project PAC, told Chapman that it has put nearly $3 million into school races since last year and so has backed candidates who won about 100 board seats.

Teachers' unions have been the major players in school-board races, especially in urban and suburban districts, where they are more like to have collective bargaining with boards. "National Education Association President Becky Pringle said most of the candidates in races tracked this year by the group won," the Journal reports. but "Tiffany Justice, co-founder of the Florida-based education nonprofit Moms for Liberty, said roughly half of 270 candidates endorsed by her group won their seats," Chapman reports. The group "has lobbied to curb classroom discussions on gender identity and sex-education issues."