All four candidates at the top of the 2024 national ticket have now appeared on the debate stage. The vice-presidential debate offered a more civil conversation compared to typical political rhetoric, but for many parents, key education issues were left unaddressed. Similar to the presidential debate in September, aside from one question about student safety related to mass shootings, the current status and future of K-12 education was largely ignored. As one of the pillars of democracy, the education of our country’s children should have been a central topic. Parents need clarity from both the Trump-Vance and Harris-Walz campaigns on how their policies will impact America’s schools. 
 
Parents want to know if Kamala Harris and Tim Walz support the Minnesota education department’s appointee who helped draft the state’s ethnic studies framework, on Gov. Walz’s watch, and has been linked to advocating for the “overthrow” of the U.S. The involvement of such a figure in curriculum development raises concerns. Parents deserve assurance that those shaping education policy prioritize a diversity of perspectives over extreme agendas. Educators are role models preparing students to be informed citizens, not activists advocating for radical ideologies. 
  
A 2023 investigation by Parents Defending Education revealed that 143 U.S. school districts have received nearly $18 billion from Chinese Communist Party-linked entities since 2009. Given Walz’s past involvement teaching in China and leading student trips there, he needs to clarify if he supports or has been involved in any CCP-linked K-12 programs. Parents expect transparency in education funding, especially when foreign influence is at play. Schools should promote independent thinking, free from the infiltration of outside interference by foreign governments. 
 
Moreover, parents have a right to transparency when it comes to safety and fairness in school athletics for their children. All the candidates should publicly address whether or not he supports the Biden administration’s rewrite of Title IX, which adds gender identity to the list of its protections. This would allow biological males to compete in girls’ sports, give unrestricted access to female locker rooms, restrooms, and other female-only spaces. The concern among parents will continue to grow should the next administration actively pursue the Title IX rewrite that allows biological males to invade girls’ sports.   
  
At the same time, Donald Trump has pledged to close the U.S. Department of Education—a bold move that leaves parents wondering how it would work and what the consequences would be. While some may support reducing federal oversight, parents need to know how such a change would affect their schools. Both Trump and JD Vance must explain how closing the department would actually improve education without creating chaos. 
  
The Trump-Vance campaign promotes universal school choice, giving parents more control over where their children attend school. But would this policy lead to public school closures? Many parents appreciate public schools but recognize their flaws. They need reassurance that school choice won’t dismantle the system without offering alternatives, particularly for underserved families. 
  
Both Trump and Sen. Vance have called for defunding schools that teach critical race theory (CRT), but similar state-level bans have struggled in the courts and with enforcement. Parents want to know how schools would be held accountable and how this defunding would work in practice. The Republican candidates need to provide a clear plan beyond rhetoric. 
 
Both campaigns owe parents clear answers on these pressing education issues. In a time when classrooms are increasingly politicized, parents deserve transparency and an impartial demeanor from each presidential candidate as well as those who may be just a heartbeat away from the presidency.