The Hidden Networks Behind School Board Battles - Part 1: To Fight the Battle You Must Know the Players

The New Jersey Family Policy Center - A Case Study

If you want to understand the growing political and cultural battles surrounding public education in New Jersey, you must start by understanding the organizations shaping the narrative. Many of these groups present themselves as grassroots advocates for parents or families. But a closer look often reveals a much more organized ideological agenda. One such organization is the New Jersey Family Policy Center and we will use them as an example.

I. What the Organization Says It Is.

At first glance, the group describes itself as a public policy organization that advocates for “family values,” “parental rights,” and “religious liberty.” These are phrases that resonate with many people across the political spectrum. Parents naturally want a say in their children’s education, and most Americans support religious freedom. But language can also be strategic.

The New Jersey Family Policy Center presents itself as a non-profit public policy organization working to “advance faith, family, and freedom.” Its public messaging often focuses on issues such as:

· Parental rights in education

· Opposition to certain sex-education curricula

· Religious freedom in schools

· School choice and voucher programs

Of great interest is the fact that the New Jersey Family Policy Center often uses the phrase “Judeo-Christian values” because it functions as a broad cultural and political framing rather than a precise theological description. In American political discourse, “Judeo-Christian” is frequently used by conservative advocacy groups to describe moral principles they believe are shared by both Judaism and Christianity—such as the importance of family, religious faith, and traditional moral norms.

II. Religious Ideology in Disguise.

Using that term Judeo-Christian can make their agenda appear more inclusive and less explicitly sectarian, especially when engaging with policymakers, public institutions, or a wider audience beyond their core evangelical base. But is also serves to disguise the fact that the organization is clearly based on Evangelical precepts.

Critics argue that organizations like the New Jersey Family Policy Center are rooted in evangelical Christian advocacy networks and promote policy positions aligned with conservative Protestant theology on issues such as education, sexuality, and the role of religion in public life. From that perspective, the use of “Judeo-Christian” language can be seen as a strategic rhetorical choice that frames their policy goals as representing a broader civilizational heritage rather than a specifically evangelical agenda.

III. The “Seven Mountains Mandate.”

As noted, these positions are framed as protecting families from government overreach. However, organizations like this are rarely acting in isolation and the hidden agenda is the injection of religious ideology into all aspects of American society and to make it prevalent in our public schools.

This is part of the Evangelical theory called the “Seven Mountains Mandate.”

The Seven Mountains Mandate is a teaching promoted within charismatic and evangelical Christian circles that argues Christians should seek leadership or influence over the seven key “mountains” (or sectors) of society: government, education, media, arts and entertainment, business, religion, and family.

Advocates contend that shaping these cultural institutions according to biblical principles will help transform society and advance Christian values.

Critics argue that the Seven Mountains Mandate encourages efforts to embed conservative evangelical ideology across public life, including public education, government policy, and cultural institutions. They contend that its rhetoric sometimes frames the United States as fundamentally a Christian nation and promotes the view that Christians should exercise privileged influence in civic life. The idea has drawn scrutiny from scholars of religion and politics who see it as part of a broader movement within segments of the American religious right seeking greater cultural and political power.

IV. The National Network Behind It

The New Jersey Family Policy Center is part of a broader national network of state-level groups affiliated with the Family Policy Alliance, which itself grew out of the well-known evangelical advocacy organization Focus on the Family. This network operates policy organizations in many states, all built around a similar model:

1. Influence legislation at the state level
2. Mobilize churches and religious communities politically
3. Advocate for policies aligned with conservative evangelical theology.

These organizations often operate as policy and political arms of a broader religious movement that seeks greater influence in government institutions, including public education.

V. Why Public Schools Are a Key Target.

Public schools sit at the center of American civic life. They educate millions of children from diverse backgrounds and are governed by constitutional principles that require religious neutrality. For ideological advocacy groups, that neutrality can be seen not as a safeguard but as an obstacle.

Many organizations within the Family Policy Alliance network advocate for policies that would:

• expand school voucher systems directing public funds to religious schools

• allow greater religious expression within public school settings

• reshape curricula related to history, gender, and sexuality

• increase parental authority to challenge or remove instructional materials

While these policies are often framed as “parental rights,” critics argue that the long-term goal is something broader: creating pathways for specific religious and political ideologies to influence public education.

The “Parental Rights” Strategy “Parents’ rights” has become one of the most effective political frames in education debates nationwide. The argument is simple: parents should control what their children are taught.

But public schools serve entire communities, not individual households.

Curriculum decisions are traditionally made by educators, school boards, and state education departments to ensure consistent standards for all students.

Critics of the parental-rights movement argue that the language can function as a strategic gateway to policies that ultimately weaken public schools while strengthening privately run — often religious — alternatives.

VI. Why Knowing the Players Matters.

Organizations like the New Jersey Family Policy Center are not fringe actors. They are organized, funded, and connected to a national advocacy infrastructure with clear ideological goals.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with their views, it is important for the public to understand who is shaping education debates and what larger movements they are part of.

Public policy battles rarely begin with legislation. They begin with narratives — and with organizations working behind the scenes to influence how those narratives are framed. Understanding those organizations is the first step in understanding the fight.

And remember that knowledge is not power. Knowledge plus action is power!

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In Part 2, we will take a closer look at how groups like the New Jersey Family Policy Center influence school board debates, legislation in Trenton, and the growing national movement around “parental rights.”
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