December 22, 2025
The legislation (Senate Bill S1099, sponsored by Democrat Senator Rachel May) prevents locally elected school boards from determining what materials are appropriate for their own students. Instead, it empowers state-aligned library staff to push the “widest array” of content, an intentionally vague standard that experts say could usher in age-inappropriate books and curriculum rooted in Critical Race Theory and other ideological agendas.“This is a dangerous overreach by Albany politicians who think they know better than parents,” Blakeman said. “As governor, I would veto this misguided law immediately. It’s a simple question: do we trust parents to guide their children’s education, or do we trust Albany bureaucrats? I stand with parents.”Blakeman emphasized that the bill is not about protecting reading access, but about shifting authority away from parents and toward a small group of politically motivated decision-makers. The bill would prohibit school boards from removing or limiting books even when parents overwhelmingly object to the content. Blakeman warned that the measure mirrors national efforts from the far-left to weaken parental influence and impose ideological material under the guise of ‘access.’“Albany is once again ignoring the will of local communities,” Blakeman said. “If I’m elected governor, we will restore common sense and local control. We will protect our children’s education from political agendas and ensure decisions stay where they belong—with parents and local school boards.”Blakeman said the bill aligns with Albany’s broader push toward education regionalization, which would take away local control and force school districts to pool resources. Education experts have cautioned that it would diminish access to specialized opportunities, including gifted and talented instruction, advanced coursework, and locally tailored enrichment programs. At the same time, it weakens the authority of locally elected school boards, shifting decisions away from parents and taxpayers and toward centralized, state-driven bodies. “When decisions move farther away from families, students lose,” Blakeman said.Bruce Blakeman has consistently stood up to Governor Hochul and Albany Democrats to defend parental rights. He opposed Hochul’s mask mandates in schools, insisting that families—not extremists—should decide what’s best for their children. From classroom content to school safety, Blakeman has fought to keep decisions where they belong: in the hands of parents and local communities.
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