Undeterred: April Carney’s Bid for School Board PC: April Carney

What is the tipping point? Parents across America have had to ask themselves this question many times in the past few years. What is the tipping point at which you will no longer go along to get along and instead say a strong, resounding, earth-shattering NO to tyrannical policies, corrosive curriculum, and overt abuse of power?

And what do you do next?

We had the chance to talk to a particularly undeterred mother from Florida whose eyes were opened by the COVID-19 craziness and who decided that her children’s safety and well-being were her personal tipping point.

April Carney, conservative candidate for School Board District 2 in Jacksonville, Florida, witnessed firsthand the detrimental effects of political overreach as she watched her “youngest daughter struggle with Covid protocols put in place last school year.” While strict Covid policies were forced on children in schools, April’s daughter suffered regular strep throats, fogging glasses, and even sores behind her ears as a consequence of wearing a mask all day every day for five days a week. But even worse, April’s daughter was isolated from friends, not allowed to socialize with others in her class, to the point where the once enthusiastic student eventually had no interest in attending school at all.

This was untenable for April and her family. So, the mother of two and business owner, decided to risk her interior design business and her reputation, and put everything aside to fight a battle that could have serious consequences; as we’ve all seen, speaking out against the mainstream can result in online harassment, “canceling,” boycotts, threats, and more. But to April it is completely worth it. Despite the push back she has already faced, she knows that this is a battle worth fighting if it means her kids can get the education they need and deserve.

Feeling God’s guidance was directing her to take action on behalf of her daughters and all children throughout Jacksonville, April started attending School Board meetings, researching online, and putting in records requests to learn more about what was going on in the school district. Her eyes were opened and there was no going back.

Undeterred

“If we do not stand up for the American way of life for our children, our entire country as we know it is in jeopardy.” – April Carney

In her research and advocacy over the past months, April has discovered a number of areas where the school system was failing her kids – COVID policies were just the tip of the iceberg. Digging deeper, she found mismanagement of funds, heavy red tape, bureaucracy overreach, and Union over-involvement that seemed to fight for anything but the kids and their education. Over the past few years, instead of investing the money into the kids and teachers, the local school board decided to use taxpayer dollars to sue the state of Florida over Parental Choice, and change school names that had any reference to the Confederacy. And now, they are trying to raise property taxes to continue to fund their misguided priorities and agendas.This petty waste of funds is one issue high on April’s list of things to address as a school board member.

“I believe that parents play the most important role in education. No one knows a child like their parent(s).” – April Carney

Parents, not the state, are responsible for their children. And though the state now plays a huge part in almost every child’s education, that does not mean that parents should separate themselves from the education process and institutions. If anything, it means they should be as involved as possible and constantly vigilant.

April’s involvement was jump started and for her there was a clear path directly to running for school board, but that may not be the path for all parents. In light of that, there are lots of ways to stay in touch with what is happening in school. Some of April’s advice for Jacksonville parents and parents across the country:

  • Join your PTA
  • Join the local chapter of Moms for Liberty and/or Moms for America
  • Volunteer in the classroom and attend as many school events as possible. Just be there.
  • Engage with your child’s teachers (and other teachers in the community) as well as school board members. Know who is in contact with your child and who is making the decisions regarding their education.
  • Research, research, research. Knowledge is power.
  • Make your own group. If there isn’t a mom group in your area that focuses on advocating for kids in school, start one.

“When one person stands, you are no longer alone.” – April Carney

April’s Platform

It is incredibly inspiring to see moms (and parents in general) take a stand for their kids. Decades of poor policy, government overreach, media interference, and the general decline of social standards have given today’s kids a lot to contend with and parents a lot to combat.

April is an advocate for school choice and is hoping to get her District 2 School Board back on track to take care of the typical and intended school board responsibilities, like effectively managing the district budget and working “in the best interests of the child to promote effective members of society.” She also wants to see fundamental changes in the parent/teacher relationship – something that has virtually disintegrated in past years and needs to be reinstated. She wants to “get back to basics” reinstituting critical, core subjects like life skills and critical thinking. She believes students should have a healthy love of country, and that certain social issues and propaganda should be removed from curriculums.

Certainly this fight to restore the classroom to an educational and purely academic sphere is going to be an uphill battle. However, April is prepared and already knows that the biggest force pushing against her (and parents across the country) is the “diversity, equity and inclusion policies” that are “doing the opposite of what they state.” More specifically, April is determined to eradicate the push for social activism within the classroom and the “agenda that most parents do not agree with.”

We love the word “undeterred” because it means that, even with strong opposition and the threat of losing what you’ve worked hard to build, you will not back down. The fight for well-rounded, real, unsullied, and true education of the future generations of America is a fight from which parents should not back down. Luckily for the kids of Jacksonville District 2, when asked what – if anything – would make April back off or stop fighting, she responded with a wholehearted “Nothing.”

April Carney is a mom of two, dog mom, wife, and owner of Re-Dew Interiors LLC  with a passion for bettering the education system for all children. In her spare time, April loves going to the beach, camping, traveling, and helping others live a healthy lifestyle as a Certified Nutrition Coach with Precision Nutrition. Learn more about April Carney, her platform, and her story here. Voting information for the state of Florida, including how to register, can be found here.

Get out and vote! Primary elections for April and the District 2 school board will be held August 23, 2022, early voting starts August 8, and absentee/military ballots go out mid-July.

Contact the Duval Supervisor of Elections office for more information on polling locations, voter registration and absentee ballot requests at www.duvalelections.com.

UPDATE: Since we last spoke with April, she has, sadly, experienced harassment and intimidation from her opponents. In an interview with Brietbart, April spoke about her experience at a First Coast Republican Club meeting where her opponent’s husband appeared and filmed her speaking, heckled audience members, and then drunkenly approached her afterwards. Unfortunately, this is just a part of the job, and April has taken it in her stride, stating clearly and firmly that she “will not let this deter me from doing what is best for Duval County families, students and teachers.”

Curious how you can get more involved in your community and find your people?