From Staff Reports 

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina recently became one of seven states in partnership with PragerU, a conservative media organization. 

Following the Sept. 16 announcement of the pact, “teachers and lawmakers alike have expressed concern and disappointment about the decision to align its education policies with them,” the Charlotte, N.C.-based Queen City News reported on Sept. 20.

In response to concerns from some educators and the public, S.C. Education Superintendent Ellen Weaver met with PragerU Executive Director Marissa Streit for a 21-minute interview about the organization’s goal for South Carolina schools. 

“PragerU representatives said the content is not for everyone — and that’s OK,” Queen City News, a FOX-affiliated television station, noted.

During her interview with Weaver, Streit stated the following:

 “This is an opportunity to just tell everybody you’re not forced to use this content, but you should really check it out because I think you’re really going to enjoy it.”

Meanwhile, Weaver said, “We are so excited. They know when they are teaching these resources, our kids are going to be getting the content we know that they need in order to have a great education.” 

Regarding PragerU, Queen City News termed it “a conservative, nonprofit media organization that produces short videos advancing patriotism and conservative views of history, race, sex, and gender, among other topics.”

The TV station added, “Streit said employees reviewed the state’s education standards to provide content that is ‘relatable’ to those standards. The partnership is with PragerU Kids.” 

In the interview with Weaver, Streit said, “PragerU content for kids is not political. We are teaching history. We’re teaching civics. Now, if teaching American history or teaching civics is political in some people’s opinion, well, I mean, that is their opinion. But ultimately, what we’re trying to do is provide entertaining and valuable educational tools for the teachers to have an easier time engaging their children.”  

Queen City News added that “Streit said their goal is for people to have a fun, engaging and memorable lifelong learning experience.” 

“It should not be painful to get educated, which is why we provide entertainment within our educational products so that kids just love to rewatch our videos again and again.”  

She explained it’s up to the adults to determine which content is most suitable for their classrooms. 

“I think it really is up to the communities, the teachers, and the school boards to have the discernment to tell which of our videos are the right fit for their communities. And keep in mind, we’re a national organization that provides so much content. We make more than 60 unique videos per week. And so, people will find things that are not relevant to them and they’ll find things that are relevant to them,” Streit continued. 

Teachers and General Assembly members are opposing the decision. Some lawmakers are saying: “This terrible decision to partner with PragerU only further divides our state.”