They Came for the Schools

NATIONAL BESTSELLERThe urgent, revelatory story of how a school board win for the conservative right in one Texas suburb inspired a Christian nationalist campaign now threatening to undermine public education in America—from an NBC investigative reporter and co-creator of the Peabody Award–winning and Pulitzer Prize finalist Southlake podcast. Award-winning journalist Mike Hixenbaugh delivers the immersive and eye-opening story of Southlake, Texas, a district that seemed to offer everything parents would want for their children—small classes, dedicated teachers, financial resources, a track record of academic success, and school spirit in abundance. All this, until a series of racist incidents became public, a plan to promote inclusiveness was proposed in response—and a coordinated, well-funded conservative backlash erupted, lighting the fire of a national movement in the escalating culture wars on the verge of changing the face of public schools across the country. They Came for the Schools pulls back the curtain on the powerful forces driving this crusade—often fought under the banner of parental rights—to ban books, rewrite curricula, and limit rights for minority and LGBTQ students. Most importantly, it reveals the fight to win what Hixenbaugh’s deeply informed reporting convinces is the holy grail among those seeking to impose biblical values on American society: school privatization, one school board and one legal battle at a time. They Came for the Schools delivers an essential take on Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, as they demean public schools and teachers, attack lessons on critical race theory, and boost the Christian right’s vision. Hixenbaugh brings to light fascinating connections between this political and cultural moment and past fundamentalist campaigns to censor classroom lessons. Finally, They Came for the Schools traces the rise of a new resistance movement led by a diverse coalition of student activists, fed-up educators, and parents who are beginning to win select battles of their own in local school board politics: a blueprint, they hope, for gaining inclusive and civil schools for all. Hixenbaugh’s essential reporting uncovers the playbook being used across the country to dismantle public education from the inside out:The Southlake Playbook: How a series of racist incidents in one wealthy Texas suburb ignited a coordinated, well-funded national movement. Christian Nationalism: An inside look at the powerful forces and key figures driving the crusade to impose biblical values on American schools. The War on Books: A behind-the-scenes account of the campaigns to ban books, rewrite history curricula, and limit rights for minority and LGBTQ students. The Push for Privatization: How the fight for local control is aimed at the "holy grail"—dismantling public education through school choice and voucher programs.