Gail Griswold & Charlene Moore - The Truth About School Choice

Gail Griswold attended the meeting via zoom. Unfortunately, we had some technical difficulties and were unable to capture most of her presentation. If you get the opportunity to listen to her speak please do. She is a well researched and passionate for our children. Her bio is listed below.

Gail Griswold is an entrepreneur, mom, and active in her local community. She first enters the public square when she questioned an unconstitutional state statute on lodging taxes that goes to trial end of November.

Gail ran for school board in 2021 after seeing all the issues the schools were having in 2020. She won her seat in April 2021 and was voted in as President of the Board of Education.

Along with 3 other like minded board members, the school immediately removed all COVID mandates including masking, testing, and secondary quarantining and became a beacon for schools across Missouri.

In summer 2021, when the board was approached with the America Rescue Plan ESSER 3 funding, her board was one of only 2 schools in Missouri not to apply for the funding and turned down $8 million dollars for various concerns with the funding.

Gail has been sounding the alarm for true local control of education in Missouri. She spoke out extensively against the recent Missouri Education Omnibus Bill and ESAs in Missouri that have put more restrictions on Homeschoolers and gave the state more control. She cautions for the expansion of government and giving the state board of education (state department of education in some states) more power and funding.

Gail favors pure educational freedom and not expanding the over reach of the state board of education like we see in many school choice states like Arizona.

Gail is working to reduce the burden of the state mandates for school accreditation and free the teachers from the burdensome daily tasks so that they can truly educate. Gail is a strong proponent for smaller class sizes, little to no technology based learning, and trivium classical approach to learning.

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Charlene is a small business owner, wife, and mother of 10. She started her children’s educational journey in the homeschooling world and has never looked back.

In 2017, Charlene started a homeschool group for her community focused on field trips, career exploration, and Biblical studies. She was also the homeschool liaison for the FCA Bucks Varsity Football team.

In 2020, Charlene became involved in politics when her daughter was fired for refusing a county enforced vaccine mandate. In an effort to claim a religious exemption, it was found the county was acting unconstitutionally by not providing that option. Not only did she win that battle, but the mandate was lifted for the entire county.

In 2022, she started a homeschool Co-Op in the small town of Roach. They currently have around 50 students enrolled and offer a wide variety of classes, field trips, and extracurricular activities.

At the beginning of 2023, Charlene organized and led the first meeting for the newly formed LOZ Homeschool Athletics Program. This is the new home of The Dragons. They will be offering basketball, volleyball, and flag football for the ‘23-’24 season.

Charlene has a heart and passion for homeschooling, loving her kids, and equiping and encouraging parents in the training and instruction of their children.

We the People of Cape Girardeau County welcomed them to speak at our weekly Tuesday meeting 1/17/23 at 5:00 PM at Delmonico's Steakhouse in Jackson, MO.