One of the nation’s largest teachers unions on Tuesday vowed to defend members who are punished for teaching an “honest history” of the United States, a measure that’s intended to counter the wave of states seeking to limit classroom discussion on race and discrimination.
In prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press, American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten said her union is preparing litigation and has a legal defense fund “ready to go.” She promised to fight “culture warriors” who attempt to limit lessons on racism and discrimination by labeling it as critical race theory.
At least six states have passed new laws limiting how race can be taught in the classroom, and similar proposals are being considered in at least a dozen others. Many of the bills are intended to bar the teaching of critical race theory — an academic framework that examines history through the lens of racism. It centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions and that they function to maintain the dominance of white people in society.
Last month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law forbidding schools from teaching that people “should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress” because of their race or sex. It adds that slavery and racism can only be taught as a deviation from the nation’s “authentic founding principles” of liberty and equality.
Bills in some other states threaten to fine individual teachers who violate the rules or reduce state funding to their schools.
“Mark my words: Our union will defend any member who gets in trouble for teaching honest history,” Weingarten said in remarks for a virtual address to union members. “Teaching the truth is not radical or wrong. Distorting history and threatening educators for teaching the truth is what is truly radical and wrong.”
In an interview, Weingarten said the union is adding $2.5 million to an existing legal defense fund in anticipation of local fights over the teaching of race. The funding will be used to defend teachers who are disciplined for teaching about slavery and racism, Weingarten said. The union is also considering filing lawsuits to get clarification about new state laws limiting how racism can be discussed in schools, she said.
“We’re looking at these laws to see if courts will give some clarification in advance,” Weingarten said. “It just looks like it’s an attempt to erase so much of the history of the United States.”
Once an obscure academic idea, critical race theory has become a political rallying cry for Republicans who argue that it sows division and makes children feel guilty for being white. But Weingarten said the concept has mostly been taught at the college level and is not taught at the nation’s elementary, middle and high schools.
Instead, she says conservatives are invoking the theory to bully teachers and prevent any critical discussion of the nation’s history. Some of the state laws are so expansive, she said, that they appear to prevent any accurate lesson on the Civil War, slavery or its abolition.
“Teaching America’s history requires considering all the facts available to us — including those that are uncomfortable — like the history of enslavement and discrimination toward people of color and people perceived as different,” she wrote in her comments. “Years ago, the country unified against Holocaust deniers. We must unite again to address racism and its long-term effects.”
The nation’s other major teachers union, the National Education Association, recently issued its own call for an honest teaching of the nation’s racial histories. At the union’s national meeting last week, president Becky Pringle urged teachers to prepare students for a society that “has wrestled with the sins of its past” and learned from them.
“If this grand experiment in democracy is to succeed, if the inhabitants of our nation are to prosper, we must continuously do the work to challenge ourselves and others to dismantle the racist interconnected systems, and the economic injustices that have perpetuated systemic inequities,” Pringle said.
Weingarten’s pledge was included as part of a broader call for improved civics education. She called for improved lessons on how to identify disinformation and on current events such as the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. To help, the union is recruiting 20 teachers in three school districts to produce new classroom materials and share them with other teachers across the country.
Much of her speech is focused on the coming school year and beyond, as the nation starts to recover from the pandemic. But she also raised concerns about the rapidly spreading delta variant of the coronavirus and its effect on schooling the fall. Weingarten said schools “can reopen this fall” for full in-person learning, but she cautioned that “there are still risks.”
The union is seeking updated school guidance from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, asking whether students under 12 should wear masks and whether 3 feet of physical distance is enough. The agency’s most recent guidance recommending 3 feet between students was issued before the delta variant started spreading in the U.S.
“We need this science-grounded guidance to clear up ambiguities, and that reflect the realities of school environments,” Weingarten said in her comments.
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The coercion machinery is oiled up and ready to run overtime. As taxpayers and concerned citizens, perhaps a strong message needs to be sent to the “educated” that there are things we do not want in public schools and we will not tolerate them. This heavy-handed approach by the unions and government walks all over the rights of parents to choose and no one should bow down to these intimidation tactics. The educational system in this country has sunk to an all-time low—they need to focus on actual education and refrain from indoctrination. With instructors so damned stupid, what can we expect from students?
Sounds more like the Critical Unionized dumb the kids down theory to me, where divisive criticism of others rules over One United Nation Under God. Teacher’s unions should have been outlawed years ago before the 10% radicals could organize and take over the 90% patriotic non-political people of integrity. At least limit their ability to organize to address only pay and benefits, prohibiting socialist contributions in teaching theory which belongs to the parents. Our kids are now treated more like lab rats than free running stallions with the kids just lost , confused and dazed in the maze. I can still see the classroom songs and scripts edifying President Obama that brought back visions of how Hitler brainwashed the German youth when in power, He who controls the minds of the youth guarantees control of the future.
The curriculum is still controlled by state politicians, not unions. The voters and the community in general have to hold management accountable. Randi is not truthful about the facts. One reason for this is the opposition of management to unions which prevented them from working together against the forces of radicalism seeking to overthrow both sides. Unions have long had to fight against being taken over by organized crime and communists. They did not always succeed. In 1968, for example, New York City and the Ford Foundation (led by a former top federal official) used racial politics against the union. That contributed the process of concessions that are coopting it now.
This teaching by teachers and approved by the “zTeachers Union, is The actions of those who want to encourage and promote “Racial Anamosity between the White Race and the” Black Race because it suits their objects of Hatred between the Races at the moment in time. In a Book titled, ” Scalia Dissents, theres a Quote which says ” In the eyes of Government, we are just one Race here. It is American, . “If this is so, why does “The Teachers Union insist, and Back the Devisive intolerant ” Critical Race Therory, ” ToOur Children? The Teachers Union must was hatred and Division between the WhiteAnd Black Race for their motivation, perhaps it fits in with The ” Teachers U ions Marxosts objects .
IT certainly sounds to me, like the unions are essentially acting like the old MOBS used to.
“HONOR OUR DEMANDS OR ELSE!”
It just go to show that ” Money Talks , The Teachers Contributes The bulk of the Teachers Union donations to theMarxist democrat party of America It just goes to show, that the Marxists democrat party of America is very attentive to donations from those with money to buy willing to be Hirelings..
To know for certain which Conntry that the Teachers Union really promotes over America, just find out whoch political party has the most socialist, communist members, Burnie Sanders, Maxine Walters , Adam Flack, George Soros, Anneta Dunne Kamala Harris, Barack H. Obama and His wife, Van Jones, Barack H. Obams pastor, Reverent Wright wh o said from his Church pulpit, ” No, No, not God Bless America No, No, But God Damned America! “
critical race theory — A theory, opinion, belief, concept, assumption of Someone or a group, or political party.
The Democrat Party’s fantasy that it’s the Republicans who are obsessed with race, maybe they should be reminded of who’s pushing Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project, rubbing salt into racial wounds daily, and promoting the fiction that the greatest threat to the republic is “white supremacy.”
These Dishonorable liberal Democrat phony anti-racist crusades have little or nothing to do with protecting the sensitivities of Black Americans and everything to do with the Democrats setting themselves up as their saviors. Their practice of patronizing groups cannot yield to the facts that the Democrat Party has a long history of racial discrimination. For their cause is not defending the oppressed or the offended but about making themselves look wonderful with their latest destructive political racial Con. 👿
The Democrat Party professes to be passionate enemies of racism;
they in fact perpetuate racism by injecting it where it does not otherwise exist in order to cultivate racism for their political purposes.
SINCE leftists HATE FACTS, of course they would band around THEORY AS gospel..
Thank you, Liberals, for explaining “systemic racism” to me!
AND thanks for proving, the ONLY SYSTEMIC racism existing, is AGAINST WHITES.
We are witnessing the slow death of our nation’s K through 12 education system and its replacement by a leftist-controlled, Marxist-based indoctrination system that teaches students to hate America, its founding principles, its symbols, its history of positive accomplishments, and its White citizens. The greatest existential threat that America faces today is not White supremacy or climate change, it is the ideological poison and lies that are being force fed to our youth by the delusional, dishonest, and hate-mongering Democrats.
TO ME, its has been slowly dying off for a good 3 decades now… THEY ARE finishing off its grave…
Who’d a thunk? A teachers’ union is actually a part of the cabal to destroy American education and replace it with indoctrination centers. The slow decay of achievement in objective academic subjects such as math, English, etc. (the basic 3Rs) in favor of subjective social courses has become a destroy at all cost mission. Forget moral ceritude, forget truth, forget real teaching, the old is out, the new is in. Remember the advertisement about wasting a mind, it’s the wasted mind that’s trying to run things!
the soviet teachers union has to be broken.
ALL TEACHERS union needs to be BROKEN DOWN, and rendered OBSOLETE!
Does “Teaching America’s history requires considering all the facts available to us” mean our kids will now learn ALL the facts of American history – including that for many (including General Lee) the Civil War was fought for States’ Rights that are being trampled today, or that a large number of Illinois dead people voted for John Kennedy in 1960 (stealing that election), or that Martin Luther King was a card-carrying member of the Communist party, or that the ONLY two functions of the Federal government (per the Constitution) are to provide for the national defense (think borders) and to regulate interstate commerce?
Proof positive teachers should not be allowed to unionize.
IF the military can’t unionize, NEITHER SHOULD TEACHERS.
There’s nothing honest about brainwashing kids into thinking that their skin color is what defines them.
All public sector unions should be banned, especially teacher’s unions.
That’s something i have LONG advocated for..
The Union Boss makes $500k/year in salary alone, not knowing her likely kickbacks. They (and she) don’t give a whit about our children, never have; like all Union Bosses and their minions—- it’s about the MONEY.
Will the teachers be teaching our kids that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States which gives all Americans to speak what they feel and not worry about the government coming over to arrest them and put them in prison were all white men not BLM nor Antifa give them those rights which nobody can take away from you
IF they really hate teaching the TRUTH OF THIS NATIONS HISTORY, i say fine.
STRIP THEM ALL OF their teaching credentials, AND THEIR US Citizenship, AND EXILE THEM To a communist nation of OUR CHOICE.
Taxpayer funds need to be shifted to charter schools and away from the political indoctrination/ Marxist propaganda centers the “public” schools have become. Our children need to be educated, not indoctrinated.
THis is why i firmly support SCHOOL VOUCHERS..
OR better yet, LET parents/home owners, CEASE PAYING for “Public schools” by taxing the hell out of them (property taxes, federal taxes, state taxes, county and even some times city taxes), AND LET THEM USE THAT money they save, to pay for PRIVATE SCHOOLING!