After two tumultuous years of intermittent school closures, parents and caregivers are claiming their power within the education system in a new way. It ain’t always pretty. Recent board meetings across the country have devolved into chaos as families argue with officials—and each other—over mask and vaccine mandates, critical race theory, and reopening plans.

Remote learning granted parents unprecedented visibility into their children’s learning and required caregivers to be hands-on in their kids’ day-to-day schooling. Activated and emboldened, families are coming forward en masse to voice their opinions. However, politicians are seizing on parents’ efforts and anxieties to stoke arguments that only serve to factionalize adults and do nothing to help children. As a country, we have to make a choice: Do we accept that the intersection of home and school must be characterized by the same partisanship and rancor that permeates so many other aspects of modern American life? Or, do we forge collaborative partnerships that better serve families, educators, and—most importantly—students?