Our current governor mocked me in a debate last week for being a "mad mom." Yes, I am indeed a mad mom. I wear that badge proudly. I will always rise up to protect my children, our children. It’s why I’m running for governor, things must change. Colorado is now one of the most dangerous states to be a kid.

We rank as one of the worst states in the country for children in suicide, drug addiction, fentanyl deaths and school shootings. Crime is skyrocketing here; our neighborhoods are not safe. And what are we doing about it?

Our current governor made fentanyl possession a misdemeanor, which is killing our kids at shocking rates. He pushed to take school resource officers out of schools. He has let addicts take over our neighborhood sidewalks. 

He doubled down on the decision to shut down schools and sports and keep pot shops open during the pandemic, which led to Children’s Hospital announcing the first ever children’s mental health crisis here. He has passed lenient crime bills that have emboldened criminals and repeat offenders. He has refused to put a cap on high potency marijuana even though our kids are developing psychotic breaks and schizophrenia.

COLORADO'S 1ST GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS FENTANYL ISSUES

Our state may be beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, our kids are now in crisis. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wants you to believe otherwise. In fact, he proclaimed in our last debate that he is a "happy dad." He has had four years to help our kids, to partner with parents, and instead he has focused on emptying our prisons and pushing his radical agenda in schools.

Sixty percent of our students in Colorado cannot read, write or do math at grade level, but instead of going all in to fix that, in May 2019, Polis signed HB19-1032, pushing sexual education in the classroom onto our youngest students. Then they promptly voted down HB22-1066 in the last session. It would have required transparency in schools, forcing school districts to make all learning materials readily available to parents upon request.

Colorado schools are teaching ideas so out of touch that they prefer parents not see or hear about them – even for ages as young as 5 and 6. That’s right – a child is barely reading fluently before they are inundated with an agenda so troublesome that parents are having to file Colorado Open Records Requests to gain access to the curriculum.

Polis wants the rest of the nation to believe that there’s nothing to see here in Colorado. Our kids are fine! We have rights! The problem is: There is a lot to see, and Polis would likely prefer that nobody hears about it as he prepares to run for president in 2024 and do to the country what he’s done to Colorado.

CRASH COURSE: THE BIG-TICKET ISSUES IMPACTING THE 2022 MIDTERM ELECTIONS FOR AMERICAN VOTERS

Last year in the Adams County school district, the school board changed its school guidelines to permit high schoolers to change their gender, name and sexual identity without requiring them to inform their parents. School staff tells the student that they will keep the secret from their parents. Changing rooms have been added in some schools, so that students can change outfits without their parents knowing.

I love and respect all children. We need to honor and respect their journey to finding their path in the world, which is why it’s so critical to make sure parents are not kept out of these critical conversations. A new culture of secrecy alienates parents from their own children, especially in their health care and education. If our kids aren’t OK, we are crippling our hope for a better future. 

When I am governor, I will give power to parents to make the right choices for their kids. I will bring true school choice to Colorado and make sure funding follows the student so that parents can choose the right school for their child. 

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I will work to increase transparency in our schools so that parents know what is being taught and how their money is being spent. Finally, I will implement the "Read to Succeed" program, which will focus on getting our kids to read by third grade.

Let’s fire Jared Polis, who isn’t making our children, or parents, a priority. It’s time to go all in on Nov. 8 to give power back to parents and give our children the bright future they deserve. I’m a MAD MOM, a mom on a mission to do just that.