At Irving Middle School in Fairfax County, Virginia , science class inappropriately has become a venue for political activism.

This month, a seventh-grade science teacher at the school informed parents that their students would be learning about wolf restoration in Yellowstone National Park and that they would then be required to “write a letter to our local Congress-person.” The teacher did not even bother to pretend that she was presenting students with both sides of the issue. In fact, in her Oct. 18 email to parents, she admitted that students’ letters to Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), the district’s congressional representative, must “[encourage him] to continue support of the restoration.”

Last week, she brought in her husband, an industry expert according to her students, to present a slideshow displaying arguments in favor of wolf restoration. During his presentation, “Why Wolves Need to Continue to Be Protected,” he briefly mentioned cattle ranchers, whose livelihoods are gravely affected by wolf restoration, but only for the students to know how best to counter the ranchers’ arguments.

Like most busy families in our suburban area, wolf restoration in Yellowstone National Park is not a priority topic for us. In fact, I would venture a guess that few of us know much about this incredibly specific debate. We certainly did not foresee that our children would be manipulated and used as political pawns in their public school science class.

In our conversation about the presentation and the related assignment, I asked my son for his honest opinion on wolf restoration. He told me that he knew so little about the arguments against it that he was not sure and felt uncomfortable writing the letter to Connolly. He also relayed that he feared retribution in the form of a poor grade if he did not support it.

I sent an email to the school’s principal, as well as the district’s superintendent, explaining how inappropriate this assignment is. I hope they make the right decision and eliminate it as a requirement for the students in this science class. I also CC’d Connolly on the email so that he would be aware of the manipulative conditions under which a class of 12-year-olds wrote their letters to him.

This assignment already has created some work for conscientious parents. Having no prior knowledge or interest in this debate, I felt compelled to educate myself and my sons about wolf restoration, partly just to counter the indoctrination my son is facing. During my preliminary research, I came across an interview with Greg Sykes, a cattle rancher in Colorado. In response to Colorado’s November 2020 referendum to reintroduce wolves to the state, Sykes said , "The vote was won by people that really have no idea what you're up against up here. They could care less what we have to put up with, or the harm we're in.”

I wonder what Sykes, who just lost his beloved dog and a calf to a pack of wolves this year, would think about a science teacher in Fairfax County, more than 1,500 miles away, trying to turn her class of 12-year-olds into a group of activists for wolf restoration in an area of the country that they probably have not even visited.

Sadly, this wolf restoration indoctrination attempt is illustrative of what is happening in public schools across the country. The politicization of history, social studies, and English classes in public schools is well known. Seventh-grade science, however, was once about things such as the scientific process, cell structure, and the organization of living things. Now, even science teachers are turning what should be an objective subject into political brainwashing sessions.

Administrators and teachers need to focus on teaching our children the fundamentals of education, not what to think. If they are incapable of doing that, they shouldn’t be teaching at all.

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora is a mother in Fairfax County, Virginia, an author, and a member of the Independent Women’s Network.