Editorial
When a superintendent resorts to namecalling, everyone loses, especially students.
“Synchronicity of Color” sculpture in Houston’s Discovery Green park (araza123/Flickr Creative Commons)In Houston, Texas, a mother who has been advocating for her autistic child recently found herself labeled “extreme” and “disgruntled” by state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles for the Houston Independent School District, she writes in an op-ed for the Houston Chronicle. Her offense? Speaking up at board meetings and raising questions about policies she believes are harming children in the district.
This kind of rhetoric isn’t just insulting. It’s dangerous.
Parents are not hired lobbyists. They are not outside agitators. They are the first and most consistent advocates for children, often stepping up when no one else will. Dismissing them with slurs shuts down legitimate dialogue and signals that leadership isn’t interested in accountability. When parents are mocked, their concerns go unanswered and, worse, buried.
The Chilling Effect of Namecalling
Superintendents and other education leaders hold extraordinary power. Their decisions affect the classroom experiences of tens of thousands of students. With that power comes the responsibility to listen, not belittle.
Labeling parents as “extreme” creates a chilling effect. Families may second-guess whether it’s worth showing up to testify. Teachers may feel silenced. The result is a hollowed-out public process, where decisions are made without the community voices that give public education its legitimacy.
Parents Deserve More Power, Not Less
Public schools are strongest when they reflect the communities they serve. Parents don’t just bring passion to the table; they bring lived experience. They see what’s working in classrooms and what isn’t. They know when services for students with disabilities are cut, or when wraparound supports quietly disappear.
Instead of being sidelined, parents should be centered. Imagine if boards of managers and superintendents not only tolerated but actively empowered parents to shape policy. We would have stronger, more equitable schools, and children would benefit most.
A Better Way Forward
Strong leaders don’t view disagreement as disloyalty. They welcome questions, even hard ones, because answering them sharpens the case for their policies. They build trust not by dismissing dissent but by engaging it.
Parents like the Houston mother advocating for her autistic son are not extremists. They are the very heart of public education. And when they raise their voices, they should be met with respect, not ridicule.
If we want our schools to thrive, we must stop treating parent advocacy as a nuisance and start seeing it for what it truly is: democracy in action.
