{"id":1619595,"date":"2022-08-23T03:16:08","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T07:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1619595"},"modified":"2022-08-23T03:16:20","modified_gmt":"2022-08-23T07:16:20","slug":"new-jersey-teachers-union-blasts-parents-as-extremists-for-questioning-left-wing-extremism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-jersey-teachers-union-blasts-parents-as-extremists-for-questioning-left-wing-extremism\/","title":{"rendered":"New Jersey Teachers Union Blasts Parents As \u2018Extremists\u2019 For Questioning Left-Wing Extremism"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnew-jersey-teachers-union-blasts-parents-as-extremists-for-questioning-left-wing-extremism%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1619595&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) revealed last week what it really thinks about parents. In a 15-second YouTube <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fRJMBamKV4Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">advertisement<\/a>, the NJEA smeared thousands of parents across the country who want to protect their kids from poisonous ideologies, calling them \u201cextremists\u201d who should \u201ctake [their complaints] somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These parents are now part of the ever-growing number of alleged \u201cextremist groups\u201d who question the left\u2019s authority.<\/p>\n<p>Coming, as it does, at the beginning of a new school year, this ad reveals that one of the true goals of the establishment is to remove parents from the educational process altogether. In essence, New Jersey\u2019s educrats have declared war on New Jersey families.<\/p>\n<h2>Defining the Terms of Engagement<\/h2>\n<p>The ad opens by claiming that everyone in New Jersey agrees that \u201ckids deserve a world-class education.\u201d This may be true, but more and more, parents and educrats disagree as to what constitutes a \u201cworld-class education.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.documentcloud.org\/documents\/22086577\/education-poll.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">poll<\/a> commissioned by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) displays the enormity of this disconnect. Voters in five battleground states were asked about highly contentious topics in contemporary education, including critical race theory and sex and gender identity, that have plagued the educational establishment for over a year now. On these points, the NJEA proves itself to be in lockstep with the political left despite the public\u2019s well-documented opposition to this agenda.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about \u201cthe way students are taught about racial issues and the role of race in America,\u201d 60 percent of poll respondents claimed that they were either somewhat or very dissatisfied compared to only 27 percent who reported being satisfied.<\/p>\n<p>Among the dissatisfied, fewer than one-fifth claimed their views were based on there being \u201cnot enough teaching\u201d about race. Yet in 2021, New Jersey went all in on race with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/04\/11\/us\/schools-new-jersey-new-law-unconscious-bias\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a law<\/a> requiring K-12 schools to teach courses on \u201cunconscious bias and diversity,\u201d ideological concepts that progressive activists <a href=\"https:\/\/www.njedreport.com\/2021\/07\/08\/explainer-the-truth-about-critical-race-theory-and-how-it-shows-up-in-your-childs-classroom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">admit<\/a> have their roots in critical race theory.<\/p>\n<p>New Jersey\u2019s educational apparatus is similarly tone-deaf regarding gender and sexuality. The AFT poll found that 58 percent of respondents were somewhat or very dissatisfied, and only 11 percent of those polled believed that more instruction was necessary in this area. This year, New Jersey schools will be implementing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/education\/2022\/05\/uproar-over-nj-sex-ed-standards-escalates-as-senate-panel-debates-proposal.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">controversial<\/a> new standards for sexual education, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/sh\/dge2a30qi05brxw\/AADZE5YRB-DViEZ-eiLQ1yoYa\/By%20the%20end%20of%20Grade%202?dl=0&amp;preview=3Rs-NJ_PinkBluePurple.pdf&amp;subfolder_nav_tracking=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">units<\/a> on gender identity for first and second graders.<\/p>\n<p>Half of the poll\u2019s respondents were dissatisfied with \u201cthe amount of say that parents have in what their children are taught.\u201d The NJEA clearly is ignoring this fact.<\/p>\n<h2>Banning Parents from the Battlefield<\/h2>\n<p>The images in the ad reinforce the union\u2019s hubris. Although teachers\u2019 unions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nea.org\/student-success\/engaged-families-communities\/family-support\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">talk a good game<\/a> about parental involvement, the sad truth is that they see parents as a hindrance to their ideological goals. This is why many teachers and administrators are <a href=\"https:\/\/projectforeverfree.org\/parents-should-be-able-to-observe-their-childrens-classrooms-any-time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reticent<\/a> about allowing parents to visit classrooms and why they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.desmoinesregister.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2022\/02\/09\/iowa-legislature-bill-classroom-cameras-public-schools-dies-house\/6712651001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attack<\/a> school camera laws like the one that the Iowa legislature failed to pass several months back.<\/p>\n<p>The establishment\u2019s endgame can be observed in the NJEA\u2019s vigorous <a href=\"https:\/\/actioncenter.njea.org\/position_statements\/a-1055-establishes-five-year-community-schools-pilot-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">support<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billtrack50.com\/BillDetail\/1170222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A-1055<\/a>, a bill that would create a pilot program for \u201ccommunity schooling\u201d in the state. The National Education Association <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nea.org\/student-success\/great-public-schools\/community-schools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">describes<\/a> this philosophy as \u201cbringing together academics, health and social services, youth and community development; and community engagement.\u201d What this innocuous-sounding word salad really means is that government-run schools will take over many of the vital <a href=\"https:\/\/restart-reinvent.learningpolicyinstitute.org\/establish-community-schools-and-wraparound-supports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cwrap-around services\u201d<\/a> that are traditionally provided by individual families and other local organizations, such as churches and private businesses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The result, in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.njcommunityschools.org\/about-community-schools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">words<\/a> of the NJ Community Schools Coalition, is that government schools will \u201cbecome centers of the community and [will be] open to everyone \u2014 all day, every day, evenings and weekends.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Extremism in the Defense of One\u2019s Kids Is No Vice<\/h2>\n<p>Luckily, the \u201cextremist\u201d parents in the Garden State have at least a few options to avoid the contempt of the educational establishment. New Jersey is one of only <a href=\"https:\/\/hslda.org\/legal\/new-jersey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">11 states<\/a> with \u201clow regulation\u201d of homeschooling with no required notice to school districts. There is also a decent <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_charter_schools_in_New_Jersey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">charter school presence<\/a> in the state.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, however, New Jersey is not friendly to school choice. The most recent data from the Center for Education Reform rates the state <a href=\"https:\/\/parentpowerindex.edreform.com\/state\/new-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">relatively low<\/a> on its Parent Power Index, noting that under Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, charter schools have suffered \u201ca continued and relentless assault\u201d and that the state still offers no \u201cchoice programs,\u201d such as vouchers or tax credits.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In such an environment, it\u2019s no wonder that the NJEA feels so comfortable viciously smearing those who dare to question it.<\/p>\n<p>Yet New Jersey government schools are suffering the same falling enrollment that has become common <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/changing-america\/enrichment\/education\/3604392-nearly-2-million-fewer-students-have-enrolled-in-public-school\/amp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">throughout the nation<\/a>.\u00a0 In the 2020-2021 school year, more than 40,000 fewer students <a href=\"https:\/\/www.northjersey.com\/story\/news\/2022\/04\/08\/nj-2020-21-school-performance-report-shows-significant-enrollment-drop\/9500374002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attended<\/a> government schools in the state when compared to 2019-2020.\u00a0 When these numbers came out in April, the New Jersey Department of Education remained curiously quiet when asked about the causes of the drop.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the \u201cextremism\u201d the NJEA fears is becoming more mainstream. If so, dissenting parents in the Garden State should take comfort in the fact that when radical leftists slap a label like this on you, you\u2019re probably doing something right.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Robert Busek is a Catholic homeschooling father of six who has taught history and Western Civilization in both traditional and online classrooms for over twenty years. His essays have also been published in The American Conservative and The American Spectator. The views he expresses here are his own.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) revealed last week what it really thinks about parents. In a 15-second YouTube advertisement, the NJEA smeared thousands of parents across the country who<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":793,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1619595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1619595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/793"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1619595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1619595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1619595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1619595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1619595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}