Parenting can be a tough job, especially when it’s balanced against competing obligations. And once your children reach school age it doesn’t get any easier. There is homework to supervise, classroom volunteer opportunities, field trips to chaperone, parent-teacher conferences to attend, and on and on. But in 2025, if not sooner, let’s add one more piece to the to-do list for moms and dads with kids attending pre-K-12 public schools: More parents and guardians need to get in the habit of attending school board meetings.

Sound boring? It sure can be but, sadly, it’s quickly becoming less so — and that’s not a good thing. In case you missed it, local board of education candidates backed by Moms For Liberty or Project 1776, right-wing political groups seeking to ban books and curb mention of LGBTQ+ issues, race, ethnicity and discrimination from schools had a pretty good day at the ballot box in Maryland on Nov. 5. About half the 19 school board candidates in nine counties backed by those groups won election. That means a lot of contentious meetings ahead.

School board elections can be problematic. Voters aren’t always well informed on the candidates (compared to presidential or Senate contenders, for example) and some don’t even bother to express a preference in the nonpartisan contests. That gives highly motivated, single-issue organizations an opportunity. They might be countered by teacher unions like the Maryland State Education Association but the final decisions rest with school boards, not educators. Thus, it’s up to parents or other interested individuals to express their views — something they can’t do if they aren’t attending board meetings or hearings.

Not sure how to get involved? Parents can start with school board websites and find out when and where there are meetings open to the public. In Baltimore County, for example, there are twice-monthly meetings (the next one is Tuesday, Nov. 19) at 6:30 p.m. at the Greenwood Campus on North Charles Street. Rest assured, there’s no harm in sitting in the audience and hearing what others have to say. And if you are serious about assuring a quality, and inclusive, education for your kids, your grandkids or even your neighbor’s kids, it can be time well spent.

Even in jurisdictions where book banning has already gone too far — Carroll County Public Schools, we’re looking at you — there is value in bearing witness and perhaps offering a dissenting view. It never hurts to advocate for the children in your life and for the quality of their education.