Jeremy Young criticizes ‘sweeping attacks’ on ‘free expression’ while serving on board of group that wants stricter controls on homeschooling
The new “strategic initiatives” advisor for the American Association of Colleges and Universities argues colleges are under attack from conservatives who are seeking to control what is taught.
“At a moment of great challenges for colleges and universities, liberal education has never been more necessary or more important,” Jeremy Young stated in a news release.
“I am honored to join the preeminent organization in the United States advocating for liberal education as a central pillar of democratic societies, and to help grow and strengthen AAC&U’s vital work at this critical time,” Young stated.
President Donald Trump’s restrictions on DEI grants and activities in higher ed are part of “sweeping attacks on the free expression of ideas,” Young previously wrote in The Chronicle of Higher Education in an essay titled “Hands Off Higher Ed!”
He argued universities have become targets of a “centrally directed campaign led by national conservative think tanks.”
According to Young, institutions of higher ed should be held accountable, but the overarching principle is educational freedom. “Autonomy from government control comes into play only in the realm of ideas,” Young said, arguing for how colleges can resist political pressure.
But Young, formerly of PEN America, is also the board member of a liberal group that is seeking to crack down on homeschooling, warning “Christian fundamentalists” use it to “abuse” their kids. Though he up until recently worked for the free expression group PEN America, he also serves on the board of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education. He also served as its interim executive director for almost a year in 2021-22.
A manual published by CRHE titled “Parental-Rights Extremism Messaging Guide” accuses “Christian fundamentalists” of using homeschooling to “abuse” their children. The group updated its guide in Oct. 2022, just months after Young joined the board.
“For decades, Christian fundamentalists in the United States have worked to enact their regressive ideas about gender and race by using homeschooling to isolate and abuse their own children,” the messaging guide stated.
In Illinois, the group, backed by the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation, has sought to pass model legislation that critics say would allow public school officials to question homeschooling parents about what they are teaching.
While before “Christian fundamentalists” were more contained, Young’s group says the threat is growing across the country.
“Now, having honed their tactics, they are moving on to enact those ideas on society as a Whole,” the group states in its “Parental-Rights Extremism Messaging Guide.”
“As homeschool alumni who were raised in these regressive systems and persecuted for marginalized identities, we at the Coalition for Responsible Home Education want to share our deep understanding of parental-rights extremists,” the group states.
The AACU has not responded to an email and phone call in the past several weeks that asked about Young’s views on homeschooling and what the group hopes he accomplishes in his new role.
Young did not respond to two emails sent in the past several weeks asking about the potential conflict in values between supporting higher education freedom while opposing homeschooling freedom.
However, several education freedom advocates, including a former Democratic congressional candidate, criticized the apparent contradiction in values.
Chris Butler, a pastor on Chicago’s South Side who has organized efforts to improve education in Chicago, told The College Fix he believes empowering parents and deregulation is the best solution.
“The American Association of Colleges and Universities appears to promote equity, innovation and excellence in education,” Butler said. “The best way to reach that goal is to empower parents to be as involved as possible in the education of their children.”
Butler, a former Democratic congressional candidate, spoke at a rally against Illinois’ homeschooling regulation bill. He also testified against the proposed law.
“Homeschooling is the most involved a parent can be in their child’s education, and we should do everything we can to help parents make that choice,” Butler said.
Butler disagrees with CRHE’s regulatory approach that places the government between parents and their children.
He said most homeschool families “are overwhelmingly already providing a safer and better environment for learning for their children” yet “CRHE would like to put a government official between parents and their children.”
“AACU likely weighs many factors when it comes to choosing a board member. I cannot possibly speak to all of those factors because I am not privy to their internal deliberations,” Butler said.
“That said, when it comes to this specific issue, I differ sharply with CRHE,” he said. “So, to the extent that Jeremy Young shares the views of CRHE, I pray that he will reconsider that position, and that he and AACU will work with homeschool families to advance our shared goal of advancing the democratic purposes of education.”
A legal expert with a conservative think tank noted that bill is part of “unprecedented attacks on educational freedom.
The legislation “would impose extensive – and legally problematic – regulations on both homeschooling families and private schools if passed,” Mailee Smith with the Illinois Policy Institute told The Fix via email. “It would allow homeschooling families to be investigated without cause, even isolating their children for questioning.”
The senior director of labor policy and staff attorney said the bill “is just the latest iteration in the attack on parents’ options,” Smith said.
Smith says legislators should focus on providing access to educational freedom and options for parents.
“With parents clamoring for more and better alternatives to traditional public school, and with states like Illinois seeking to restrain their rights, families need all the support they can get,” Smith told The Fix. “They should be wary of anyone with an anti-homeschool or anti-school choice background.”
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IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: AACU advisor Jeremy Young; Jeremy Young/LinkedIn