SC for Ed

[2] Lisa Ellis, founder of the organization, ran for the office of state superintendent of education in the 2022 election, as a fusion candidate[3] on the Democratic and Alliance Party tickets.

[8] Since 2019, the group has gained notoriety and political strength in South Carolina, garnering the support of a number of state legislators, mostly Democratic {{Citation needed}}.

[9] Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, SC for Ed frequently advocated for the institution of mask mandates in schools, which governor Henry McMaster refused to initiate.

Further, the group demanded that schools remain closed more than a year after the outset of the pandemic, at a time during which there was some controversy over the effects of early strains of the virus on children.

"[14] An SC for Ed board member stated, "If we do not have mitigation efforts that are effective in place to help with the spread of COVID, such as masks, we are going to see more and more children become ill,”[15] The group based its position on then-current medical guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[19][20][21] In May 2021, the group stated that they were forced to meet in secret because of death threats made online, including one from an organization that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

"[26] The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund included the South Carolina "anti-CRT" bills among a list of "Bans on Truth, History and Racial Discourse" [27] and the South Carolina chapters of the NAACP, American Civil Liberties Union, E3 Foundation, and Lowcountry Black Parents Association all partnered with SC for Ed in opposing the bills, as well.