The FBI’s August 12 report is nothing short of a damning indictment of the public school system. Between 2020 and 2024, nearly 1.3 million crimes were reported on school grounds — including a staggering 540,000 assaults and 45,000 sex offenses. These aren’t abstract numbers. They represent children brutalized and abused in places parents are told are “safe.”

And here’s the kicker — that number is nowhere near the full picture. Only about half of the nation’s law enforcement agencies even bothered to submit data for the report. That means hundreds of thousands more violent acts likely went unreported. If this is what’s happening with partial data, imagine what the real total looks like.

This is what happens when kids are trapped in union-run, government-controlled institutions that put bureaucrats and political agendas ahead of student safety. Classrooms are no longer dedicated to education — they’re crime scenes in waiting. Hallways have become battlegrounds. Predators are hiding in plain sight.

President Trump’s Department of Education has already taken steps to give students stuck in “persistently dangerous” schools the ability to transfer out. That’s a start, but it’s nowhere near enough. Parents need total control over where their kids go to school — and their tax dollars should follow them to safer, better-run options.

The evidence is overwhelming. A 2022 peer-reviewed study confirmed that private and charter schools are consistently safer than traditional public schools. In Washington, D.C., students lucky enough to win a school choice lottery were 34% more likely to say they felt “very safe” compared to those stuck in the public system. Safety isn’t a privilege — it’s a necessity.

Public schools are failing in every way imaginable. It’s not just violence — it’s academic collapse. In 2024, 80 Illinois public schools reported that not a single student was proficient in math. Zero. That’s not education. That’s child neglect on a massive scale.

Even worse is the sexual abuse epidemic festering inside public education. A 2004 federal study estimated one in ten students would experience sexual misconduct from an educator before graduation. In 2023, nearly 12% of recent graduates said it happened to them. These are predators shielded by the very system that’s supposed to protect children.

Some states are fighting back. Texas passed a law this year eliminating immunity for public schools and employees in sex abuse cases. Governor Greg Abbott signed it into law, sending a clear message: if you harm children, you will face justice. Every state should follow this lead immediately.

The hard truth is this: the public school system is broken beyond repair. Teachers unions fight to keep kids trapped, parents silenced, and dangerous adults protected. The FBI’s report isn’t just a wake-up call — it’s proof that the so-called “education establishment” has blood on its hands.

It’s time to stop pretending this can be fixed from within. Parents must have the power to pull their kids out and choose schools that value safety, discipline, and actual learning. The monopoly is over. The prison gates need to be thrown open. And every politician who refuses to back school choice should be held accountable for every child hurt in this broken system.