Candidate for TN Gov. Calls for Keeping Turning Point Out of Schools
Jerri Green calls out Gov. Lee's "partnership" with discriminatory political group
The leading Democratic candidate for Tennessee Governor, Jerri Green, is calling for an end to the state’s so-called “partnership” with political organization Turning Point USA to place activist, right-wing clubs in all of the state’s public schools.
Public schools exist to serve all students—regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, immigration status, or political belief. Organizations that are allowed into these spaces must meet that same standard. Turning Point has repeatedly demonstrated practices and messaging that many educators, civil rights advocates, and families view as discriminatory and exclusionary. Its public rhetoric has too often targeted marginalized groups, framed diversity and inclusion efforts as threats, and promoted ideological litmus tests that chill open discussion rather than encourage it. That approach undermines the fundamental mission of public education: to create safe, inclusive environments where students can learn to think critically and engage respectfully with differing views.
Finally, I want to speak directly to those who say they are worried about children being indoctrinated in schools. That concern deserves to be taken seriously. But it cuts both ways. If we truly value intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity, we must be careful not to replace one form of perceived indoctrination with another by allowing politically motivated organizations with documented exclusionary practices into public classrooms. Public schools should not be a staging ground for any ideological agenda.
