Anne Geggis
The nation’s largest teachers’ union is having its annual meeting in Orlando and a rally planned for Wednesday promises a rebuke to the message at last week’s Moms for Liberty convention in Philadelphia.
The National Education Association (NEA), led by Gen Z’s first member of Congress, is rallying for “Freedom to Learn” as these moms have stormed onto the national stage demanding a say in limiting how sensitive issues can be discussed at school.
The parental rights group has put unions like the NEA in the crosshairs of its promise to overhaul education infrastructure across everywhere. Moms for Liberty, which started with two Florida women and now claims 120,000 members, say they are pushing back against instruction on systemic racism and gender identity in the classroom they say represents an effort to usurp their parental rights.
Last week’s event in Philadelphia featured Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, both Republican presidential candidates, cheering on these moms whose organization has been labeled an “extremist” organization.
On Wednesday, though, rising Democratic political star Congressman Maxwell Frost and a host of other progressive cause leaders are leading a rally against what they are calling “the politicization of public education.”
The focus of Wednesday’s union rally promises to shine a spotlight on the outbreak of book challenges, according to a news release from the NEA. The release also touches on several hot-button issues that have dominated School Board meetings across the state and prompted legislation that more tightly restricts how teachers can discuss LGBTQ and racial issues at school.
“Politicians such as Ron DeSantis have banned books, taken away the freedom to learn from students and politicized public education across the country,” the release says. “They have recklessly banned books about Martin Luther King Jr. and Anne Frank, attempted to erase and dehumanize the LGBTQ+ community, blocked students from learning AP African American Studies, and restricted the freedom of educators to teach and of students to learn.”
DeSantis, for his part, has denied “banning” books even as he’s supported legislation that can take books off the shelves at the objection of one parent, setting off a review that could go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to legislation that went into effect July 1.
Andrew Spar, President of the state chapter of the NEA; Becky Pringle, NEA President; Adora Obi Nweze, state President of the Florida chapter of the NAACP; and Mecca, an internationally recognized spoken-word poet, are also on tap to lead the rally.
The 9 a.m. event slated for Wednesday, the fourth day of the NEA’s Representative Assembly, will be at the Orange County Convention Center, 9800 International Drive.
5 comments
Earl Pitts American
July 5, 2023 at 7:51 am
Good mornting America,
These 6001 teachers in attendance are a disgrace to the profession of teaching. To even attend such a meeting is a slap in the face to:
“all the childern of the world” – “Yellow, Red, or Black and White, they are precious in His sight – Jesus loves the little childern of the world”
I am 100% sure the evil union had to load those in attendance up with freebies in order to even get the 6001 claimed to be in attendance to disgrace themselves by praticipating.
Teachers have really pooped in the nest of their once honored profession along with smearing their poop all over the walls of the once respected public schools all accross the USA.
Teachers have totally lost the respect we as a nation bestow upon Police Officers, Fire Fighters, The Military, and public servents in general.
Sure there still a minority of good teachers which deserve respect but the Union along with the majority of bad teachers are working to get rid of the few remaining good ones.
*So if your are one of the good ones you can just save your rightous indignation by blastpheming me, Earl Pitts American, because your coworkers already rubbed their stink on your face too. Guilty by association.
Thank you America,
Earl Pitts American
Tom Palmer
July 5, 2023 at 8:54 am
As long as Rep. Frost can keep his rhetoric at the level you would expect from a member of Congress and not someone from the cheap seats, it will be fine. Someone h as to speak out against these right-wing busybodies at the so-called Moms For Liberty.
Retired Teacher
July 5, 2023 at 9:00 am
Hey Earl,
Retired teacher John Johnson here. You are not wrong about the few remaining good teachers left in the poisioned system having forfitted their rights to complain. Its gone too far up the butt of wokeism for that, as all the good ones have already abandoned the poisoned public system, and are happliy teaching at private non woke schools by now.
What that means is this Earl. If any “indignant” public school teacher comments that they are offended, then they are most likely not even a public school teacher at all, and just a leftist troll to be ignored and felt sorry for.
Earl the only way forward is to elect a Republican to the White House. Ron Desantis will restore honor to public schools as no other candidate will be willing to do.
Thats my recomendation to a Nation which has lost its way along the way.
Thanks John Johnson Retired Teacher
Joe
July 6, 2023 at 3:25 pm
We’re all very glad to hear you are retired, John, and no longer able to poison any more students with your hateful right-wing rhetoric and nihilism.
You and Ronnie and Donnie and Earl are all destined for the same corner in the dustbin of history.
Joe
July 6, 2023 at 3:22 pm
Even with his limited political experience and college education, Maxwell Frost seems like he would wipe the floor with Governor Pipsqueak in a direct debate.
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