Keep White Supremacist Ideology out of Arkansas' Public Schools

Governor Sanders recently signed a proclamation encouraging Arkansas schools to allow students to start chapters of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, or its Club America. 

Turning Point USA claims to be about promoting fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government. In reality, it’s a partisan, pro-Trump organization that whitewashes history and demonizes kids of color and transgender kids. Their national field director was caught texting “I hate black people” to a coworker.  They prime youth to become pawns in an extremist movement that pits working people against each other and dismantles the very public schools they attend.

Furthermore, it is unconstitutional for the Governor to promote one student club for every high school and college in Arkansas. The ACLU of Arkansas responded to Governor Sanders’ proclamation saying, “the Governor’s endorsement of these student clubs only — to the exclusion of all other student clubs — is differential treatment based on the content or viewpoint of the clubs, and a problem under the First Amendment. This overstepping also flouts students’ rights as protected by the federal Equal Access Act.”

Governor Sanders is trying to force a right wing group into every public school while defunding our public education system with a private school voucher program that drains our schools of much needed resources and funnels our tax dollars mainly to wealthy families who already attend private and religious schools.

Sign this petition to tell Governor Sanders and our state elected officials that Arkansans believe in fully funded public schools that teach honest history and support every student, no matter their background, to learn and thrive.