Attacks on public education are nothing new, but they’ve recently taken on a more vicious and dishonest turn.

Opponents of public education malign teachers as agents of leftist indoctrination who inculcate children with a broad “woke” agenda that includes critical race theory, gender theory and socialism. Since our public schools are community schools, simple communication with our children’s teachers might shed light on what’s really happening in the classroom.

What we’ll typically find is an honest examination of our history and its legacy, of the challenges of perfecting our union, and of the stories of those Americans whose struggles have improved all of our lives. A teacher’s job is to teach the truth — as difficult and discomforting as that can sometimes be. Teaching truth is not indoctrination. It is vital; it is profoundly American.

Public schools aren’t perfect, and honest conversations about improvement are merited. However, we should be wary of those who speak of reform, but whose objectives are the weakening and dismantling of public-school systems and the siphoning of public funds into private, often sectarian institutions.

Our public schools are community schools. Our teachers are neighbors. Yet opponents of public education seek to sow distrust in our communities and to make enemies of our local educators.

Beyond the din of partisan interests is the reality of hardworking and caring teachers and staff — our neighbors — who are the heart of our community schools. Accountability results from honest and open relationships, not from fabrications and blanket attacks.