{"id":2034842,"date":"2023-09-16T18:09:04","date_gmt":"2023-09-16T22:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teachers-union-boss-denies-comparing-parental-rights-advocates-to-racial-segregationist\/"},"modified":"2023-09-16T18:13:16","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T22:13:16","slug":"teachers-union-boss-denies-comparing-parental-rights-advocates-to-racial-segregationist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teachers-union-boss-denies-comparing-parental-rights-advocates-to-racial-segregationist\/","title":{"rendered":"Teachers Union Leader Denies Equating Parental Rights Advocates with Segregationists"},"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\">20<\/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%2Fteachers-union-boss-denies-comparing-parental-rights-advocates-to-racial-segregationist%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=2034842&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--><h2>The President of Teachers&#8217; Union Denies Comparing Parents to Segregationists<\/h2>\n<p>The president of the nation&#8217;s second-largest teachers&#8217; \u200bunion has denied \u200clikening parents \u200bwanting to direct their children&#8217;s\u200c upbringing to those who wanted racial segregation in \u200bpublic\u200c schools after her comments sparked outrage from supporters of the movement.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I \u2064never made the comparison. I said I was gobsmacked that the same language\u200d was used. I was shocked by it precisely because\u200c I don\u2019t\u200b see today\u2019s parents that \u200cway,&#8221; Randi Weingarten,\u200c who\u200d heads\u200c the American Federation of Teachers\u200b (AFT), told Fox News Digital. &#8220;I believe that parents and teachers are each other&#8217;s \u200bpartners.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Weingarten&#8217;s original comments, which drew a parallel between the word choices of modern-day parental rights \u200cactivists to those of pre-Civil-Rights-era segregationists, came during a Sept. 12 interview with Seth Harris, a professor at Northeastern University and former labor department official under Clinton and Obama administrations.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Related \u200cStories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/desantis-invites-harris-to-talk-about-slavery-but-she-rejects-the-offer-5437693\">DeSantis Invites Harris To Talk About Slavery,\u200c But She Rejects the Offer<\/a> (8\/1\/2023)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/opinion\/school-choice-thrown-under-the-bus-again-5405918\">School Choice Thrown Under the Bus Again<\/a> (7\/18\/2023)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;The same \u200dkind of roots\u200b that happened in the aftermath of Brown v. Board, those\u2062 same words that you heard, in terms of wanting \u200dsegregation, post Brown v. Board of Education, those same words you hear today,&#8221; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/randi-weingarten-called-out-for-perjuring-herself-during-house-oversight-hearing\/\" title=\"Randi Weingarten Called out for Perjuring Herself During House Oversight Hearing\u202f\u202f\">union boss told<\/a> the professor in response\u2062 to a question about how\u2064 political discussion surrounding \u2062schools today are different\u200d from that of the last century.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I \u200cwas kind of gobsmacked \u200cwhen\u2062 I was talking to\u200b Southern \u200cPoverty Law Center, and they showed me the same words: \u200c&#8217;choice,&#8217; &#8216;parental rights&#8217; and attempts to divide parents versus teachers, and at\u200b that point, it was white parents versus other \u200dparents,&#8221; she \u2063continued. &#8220;But it&#8217;s the same kind of words.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Each year, the Southern Poverty Law Center updated \u200dits online map \u200bof what it calls &#8220;hate groups&#8221; across\u2063 the United States. The map now lists prominent parental right \u200borganizations like Moms for Liberty and Parents Defending Education alongside the Ku Klux \u2062Klan, characterizing their members as &#8220;far-right anti-government parents&#8221; seeking to advance a &#8220;reactionary anti-student inclusion&#8221; agenda.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Weingarten&#8217;s remark was met with much ridicule and criticism from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/american-academy-of-pediatrics-now-suggesting-parental-rights-advocates-want-to-roll-back-child-abuse-protections\/\" title=\"American Academy of Pediatrics Now Suggesting Parental Rights Advocates Want to Roll Back Child Abuse Protections\">parental rights advocates<\/a>, as well as from other critiques of \u200cher organization.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If Randi is\u2064 actually interested in addressing modern-day segregation in schools, she should unequivocally condemn the practice of racially segregated &#8216;affinity groups&#8217; &#038; &#8216;healing circles&#8217;\u2063 that are used in K-12\u2063 schools,&#8221; Nicki Neily, the president of Parents Defending Education, wrote on X in response to the union leader&#8217;s comments.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2021, Parents Defending Education has filed numerous complaints with the U.S. Department of Education against \u2062public school districts for\u2063 their alleged establishment of &#8220;affinity groups&#8221; and\u200b &#8220;safe spaces&#8221; that separated the students by race. Instead \u200dof creating opportunities\u2063 for students to connect based on shared interests, \u2062the group argued, those schools \u2064unlawfully lumped students together\u2063 based on skin color.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And yet she was the one blocking the schoolhouse doors,&#8221; Ilya Shapiro, director of constitutional studies at conservative think tank Manhattan Institute, wrote on X, apparently referencing the AFT&#8217;s well-documented resistance against the return \u2062of\u2064 face-to-face schooling in despite of\u200d all evidence that children are least likely to spread or becoming seriously ill from COVID.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who \u2064is seeking the Republican nomination for president, also said \u200dMs. Weingarten should not label something that isn&#8217;t racial in nature \u200cas a matter of racism.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There might not be anyone that&#8217;s done more damage \u200crecently than Randi Weingarten to the kids living in\u2062 distressed communities &#8230; especially like the ones where I grew up,&#8221; \u2063the North Charleston-born Senator said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s so frustrating to hear\u200c these liberal lies, hearkening back to a\u200b day that no longer exists. Yet they&#8217;re the ones with their teachers unions standing in the doorway of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tim-scott-blasts-teachers-union-leader-for-comparing-parental-rights-to-segregation\/\" title=\"Tim Scott criticizes teachers union leader's comparison of parental rights to segregation.\">schoolhouse trapping poor kids<\/a> in as\u2064 if the house is on fire, but they won&#8217;t let a single soul out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Weingarten had previously come under fire for making a similar comparison in 2017 \u2063when she said at a \u2062union convention that &#8220;the real pioneers\u2063 of private school choice were the white politicians who resisted school\u2063 integration.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>During that speech, Ms. Weingarten fiercely criticized then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a Michigan billionaire and school choice sympathizer, claiming that the expansion of tax-money-funded programs that\u2062 offer parents \u200dmore educational \u200bchoices would undermine public K-12 education and resegregate students along a perceived line of\u200b racial poverty disparities.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This privatization and disinvestment are only slightly more polite cousins of segregation,&#8221; she told union delegates at that time. &#8220;What better way to\u200d pave the path to privatize education than to \u2063starve public schools to the breaking point, then criticize their shortcomings, and let the market handle \u2064the rest.\u200c All in the name of\u2062 choice.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> In what ways can we recognize \u2062and appreciate the unique perspectives and contributions of both parents and teachers in\u200c creating\u2062 a \u200cmore inclusive and effective education \u2064system<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Iro, the executive director \u2062of\u2062 the AFT&#8217;s \u200cnemesis, the American Federation\u200c for Children, tweeted in response to the controversy. He was \u200breferring \u2063to Ms. Weingarten&#8217;s past opposition \u200dto school choice programs, \u200bwhich proponents argue are \u2062essential for ensuring educational opportunities for \u200call students regardless\u200c of their background.<\/p>\n<p>Critics of Ms. Weingarten argue that her\u200c comparison \u2064between parents advocating for\u2062 their children&#8217;s education and historical segregationists is not only offensive but also undermines the \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-democratic-party-trashes-parental-rights-in-education-then-deletes-post-and-backtracks\/\" title=\"Michigan Democratic Party Trashes Parental Rights In Education, Then Deletes Post And Backtracks\">important role parents play<\/a> in their children&#8217;s lives and education. They argue that parents have the right to be\u200c actively involved in their children&#8217;s schooling and should\u2064 be respected as partners by teachers and administrators.<\/p>\n<p>In \u200crecent years, there has been a growing movement of parents advocating for\u200c school \u200bchoice and greater\u200d parental involvement in education. These parents argue that they should have \u2064the freedom to choose the\u2063 best\u200d educational options for their children, whether\u2063 that be traditional public schools, charter schools, private schools, or homeschooling. They\u2062 believe that by \u200cempowering \u200cparents and\u2063 giving them more control over their children&#8217;s education, we can \u2063improve the quality of education in\u2063 our country.<\/p>\n<p>While critics\u200b may disagree with the methods\u2064 or policies advocated by parental\u2062 rights\u200c activists, it is essential to respect their right to express their opinions and concerns.\u200d Open and respectful dialogue \u200dbetween parents,\u200b teachers, and educational leaders is crucial for addressing the\u2062 challenges \u200cand improving \u2063the education system. Painting parents as segregationists or using divisive rhetoric only hinders progress and boils down complex issues into simplistic\u200c and inflammatory soundbites.<\/p>\n<p>As the president of the\u2064 second-largest teachers&#8217; \u2064union in the\u2062 country, Ms. Weingarten\u200d has considerable influence \u200bover education policy and public discourse. It is essential that\u2064 she\u2064 and other educational leaders engage in productive conversations that\u200c promote collaboration and understanding rather than resorting to inflammatory \u2062language and comparisons.<\/p>\n<p>Parents and teachers share a common goal\u2062 \u2013 to provide the best possible education for\u200b children. It is crucial that we recognize and appreciate the unique\u200c perspectives and contributions of both parents and teachers \u200cin achieving this goal. By working together as partners, we can\u200d create a more inclusive,\u2063 equitable, and \u2063effective education system\u200c for all students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The president of the second-largest teachers&#8217; union denies equating parents&#8217; desire for child guidance to racial segregation in schools. Her remarks caused backlash from movement supporters. She clarifies, &#8220;I never made that comparison. I was simply astonished by the similar language used. It took me by surprise.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":392,"featured_media":2034843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2034842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034842","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\/392"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2034842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2034843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2034842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2034842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2034842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}