Training camp hasn’t started yet for the National Football League, but teachers&#8217; unions and educational leaders are training hard for something else. In fact, they haven’t stopped training since 2020 to close schools quicker than a wide receiver running a 40.
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The latest example comes from Pittsburgh. The City of Champions is benching students while it hosts the NFL Draft April 23-25, closing schools for three days of remote learning to accommodate the event, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced this week. The city was picked to host the draft almost two years ago, which seems like plenty of time to create a backup plan, but here we are. Green Bay anticipated a closure by starting the school year early, while Detroit never closed its doors despite record crowds of 775,000.
“Our priority is maintaining continuity of learning while recognizing the extraordinary circumstances the city will experience during the NFL Draft,” <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48259609/pittsburgh-schools-switch-remote-learning-nfl-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48259609/pittsburgh-schools-switch-remote-learning-nfl-draft&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1774373900008000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2HdD_lxlO-OpT2EQZcz1dQ">Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Wayne Walters said in a news release</a>. “Transitioning to asynchronous learning allows us to support students academically while helping families navigate the logistical challenges expected across the region.”
&#8220;Asynchronous learning,&#8221; if you’re rusty on the language of pandemic excuse-making, is a term for not learning. Students will be sent home with assignments, but won’t meet online or in person during the time they are to complete them. “Continuity of learning” is another term that means the opposite of its implication, an Orwellian term if ever there was one. Perhaps Walters means the same continuity of learning that left Pittsburgh students a half year behind grade level in reading and a <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/pittsburgh/2025/03/21/post-pandemic-learning-gaps-pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.axios.com/local/pittsburgh/2025/03/21/post-pandemic-learning-gaps-pennsylvania&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1774373900008000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1vw3M2n3wBWrp7Y6zQM6Ys">full grade level behind in math, a whopping five years after the pandemic</a>? The same continuity that necessitated a COVID Compensatory Services program to make up for more than <a href="https://www.wesa.fm/education/2026-01-06/pittsburgh-public-schools-learning-loss-rock-climbing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wesa.fm/education/2026-01-06/pittsburgh-public-schools-learning-loss-rock-climbing&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1774373900008000&amp;usg=AOvVaw21CqtTPB_OPh5INHo-j4Ws">600,000 hours of missed therapy for special education students</a>?
The continuity of learning that we now know, left “<a href="https://www.axios.com/local/pittsburgh/2025/03/21/post-pandemic-learning-gaps-pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.axios.com/local/pittsburgh/2025/03/21/post-pandemic-learning-gaps-pennsylvania&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1774373900008000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1vw3M2n3wBWrp7Y6zQM6Ys">lower-income districts and students of color hit hardest?”</a>
Not everyone needed several years of studies to know this would happen. Common sense suggested closing schools for a year and a half would put kids behind, with those already facing economic and academic challenges the least able to fill the gaps. But now that everyone knows, it’s inexcusable to close schools except under the most dire conditions. The NFL Draft does not count.
Pittsburgh Public Schools spokespeople told news outlets they’ve had <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/20/media/pittsburgh-public-schools-moves-to-remote-learning-ahead-of-nfl-draft-extraordinary-circumstances/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nypost.com/2026/03/20/media/pittsburgh-public-schools-moves-to-remote-learning-ahead-of-nfl-draft-extraordinary-circumstances/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1774373900008000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0knPvpgr762xwb55L_3Jtb">“mixed&#8221;</a> feedback from parents, but are protecting against transportation and congestion issues, with hundreds of thousands of people coming to town for the draft.
But Pittsburgh denizen and reporter Salena Zito noted on X, “There is one Pittsburgh Public Schools school located directly in the downtown core: ONE. All other schools are miles away from where the draft will be.”
In the country’s bluest localities, educators looked back at the mess they made in 2020 and decided they should reserve the right to make it again in the future whenever they felt like it. This keeps happening all over the country, where students and parents pay the price for these hair-trigger school closures.
Pittsburgh isn’t the only school system heaping on these unrecoverable days, which only compounds losses from the pandemic. Northern Virginia and Maryland schools closed for more than a week due to 6-8 inches of snow in February. Public schools closed again across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast in March for a severe storm with possible tornadoes that never materialized.
In San Francisco, a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/san-francisco-teachers-strike-ec574f8ac7ef0e0041e9f136e9f99140" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://apnews.com/article/san-francisco-teachers-strike-ec574f8ac7ef0e0041e9f136e9f99140&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1774373900008000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2ItypmFJFF81bEu-iiVWE_">teachers&#8217; union strike closed schools for 50,000 students for a day</a>, while another <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-18/la-teachers-union-widely-expected-to-announce-strike-date-at-massive-wednesday-rally" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-18/la-teachers-union-widely-expected-to-announce-strike-date-at-massive-wednesday-rally&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1774373900008000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2sqwrzoLn-D26nrW6f2pHn">work stoppage</a><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-18/la-teachers-union-widely-expected-to-announce-strike-date-at-massive-wednesday-rally" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-18/la-teachers-union-widely-expected-to-announce-strike-date-at-massive-wednesday-rally&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1774373900008000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2sqwrzoLn-D26nrW6f2pHn"> looms in Los Angeles this month</a>. Minneapolis’ public schools closed for part of a week during <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/01/12/ice-operations-prompt-changes-at-minnesota-schools" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/01/12/ice-operations-prompt-changes-at-minnesota-schools&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1774373900008000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3mIWwcAc-JUEsLeysR_JLM">ICE operations in the city in January and offered students a remote learning option for a full month, claiming “safety concerns.”</a> There have been widespread politically motivated walkouts in districts across the country that have interrupted learning, backed by teachers, administrators, and unions.
If you squint, you can see a theme — low risk tolerance encourages closings out of an abundance of caution, while COVID-era remote learning is seen as an easy, effective stopgap measure despite all the evidence to the contrary. In other words, a bunch of people don’t really want to do their jobs and are happy to take any opportunity to stop. It doesn’t help that they were rewarded handsomely with COVID bailout money for doing extensive damage the first time around.
Before the pandemic, public schools weren’t exactly reliable for actual learning, but at least they opened their doors every day. Little did parents know how much they&#8217;d miss that bare-minimum effort once it was gone. During the pandemic, school districts that stayed open, even through adversity, generally experienced less learning loss and are now better at staying open. But in blue metro areas where elected political leadership and unions align, schools that practiced being closed are now very comfortable closing.
In Pittsburgh, this philosophy understandably affects student attendance, yet another broken habit of the pandemic years that has not yet been repaired. <a href="https://www.wesa.fm/education/2025-12-02/pittsburgh-public-schools-scores-absenteeism-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wesa.fm/education/2025-12-02/pittsburgh-public-schools-scores-absenteeism-report&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1774373900008000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZU7G3oGECMr8_BEPpFPjt">A 2025 report by PPS found that chronic absenteeism is at 34%</a>, which RAND Corporation categorizes as <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA956-34.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA956-34.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1774373900008000&amp;usg=AOvVaw19B6f_0gRYmfQXIze9T6gt">“extreme,”</a> and is moving in the wrong direction.
It’s no surprise that when a school district views school as optional, some parents and students start to agree.
When the NFL comes to town, they&#8217;re going to be sacked for yet another loss.
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Remote Learning/NFL Draft

Teachers’ Unions Use the NFL Draft to Keep Students Home

Education

Remote Learning

school

This piece is part of MI x DW, a collaboration that brings Daily Wire readers exclusive commentary and research from the Manhattan Institute&#8217;s world-class team of scholars.
In this piece, Manhattan Institute Fellow Carolyn Gorman urges conservative education reformers to tackle school-based mental health programs. As Gorman explains, these initiatives have done little to improve students&#8217; mental health, but have contributed to falling outcomes — and cost taxpayers a pretty penny. — Tim Rice
***
American public education is at a crossroads.
Conservative education reformers have made real gains in recent years, on school choice — now universal in <a href="https://www.heritage.org/religious-liberty/commentary/school-choice-about-religious-liberty-not-just-better-test-scores">18 states</a> — <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/03/divided-court-sides-with-parents-in-dispute-over-california-policies-on-transgender-students/">parental rights</a>, <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/dismantle-department-of-education-trump-elon-musk">ideology</a> and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/linda-mcmahon-my-vision-eliminating-department-education">bureaucracy</a>. As a result, we&#8217;re barreling towards what the American Enterprise Institute&#8217;s Robert Pondiscio <a href="https://www.aei.org/articles/the-last-days-of-public-school/">predicts</a> will be an “unprecedented crack-up” of public education.
If the old education model is to enter its last days — if, as Pondiscio says, “we’ve hit and passed ‘peak public school’&#8221; — conservative reformers need to set their sights on their next goal. And that goal should be fighting school-based mental health treatment — another woke, wasteful, ineffective idea that’s reduced accountability in schools.
These programs date back to the early 20th century, when progressive <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2408392/">reformers</a> urged schools to promote mental health, train teachers to recognize signs of distress, and locate health clinics in schools. If schools could identify problems early and deliver treatment widely, reformers promised, mental illnesses could be prevented; academic and behavioral problems <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lois-Flaherty/publication/226535892_History_of_School-Based_Mental_Health_Services_in_the_United_States/links/5703061708aedbac126f4241/History-of-School-Based-Mental-Health-Services-in-the-United-States.pdf">might improve</a>, too. 
In the ensuing century, periodic <a href="https://www.aei.org/articles/the-mental-health-crisis-that-wasnt/">proclamations</a> of <a href="https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/mentalhealthcommission/reports/FinalReport/FullReport-1.htm">looming</a> mental health <a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/school-based-mental-health-initiatives-challenges-and-considerations-for-policymakers#:~:text=In%20recent%20years%2C%20troubling%20increases%20in%20the%20prevalence%20of%20school%20violence%20and%20youth%20emotional%20distress%20have%20prompted%20a%20sense%20of%20urgency%20among%20policymakers%2C%20leading%20to%20the%20bipartisan%20action%20of%20committing%20billions%20of%20dollars%20annually%20in%20federal%20funding%20to%20bolster%20these%20programs.">crises</a>, tragedies like <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/node/193271">school shootings</a>, and expensive, bipartisan <a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/school-based-mental-health-initiatives-challenges-and-considerations-for-policymakers#:~:text=In%20education%20policy,being%20in%20schools.">spending efforts</a> have caused school mental health programs to explode. Today, nearly all public schools — <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/learn/press-release/over-half-public-schools-report-staffing-and-funding-limit-their-efforts-effectively-provide-mental#:~:text=All%20data%20released%20today%20can,/spp/results.asp.&amp;text=Nearly%20all%20public%20schools%20provide,%2D22%20%5B25%20percent%5D).">97 percent</a> — offer some form of <a href="https://www.kff.org/mental-health/the-landscape-of-school-based-mental-health-services/">mental health services</a>, like counseling and talk therapy, universal screening, wellness programming, referrals, or telehealth. The number of <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/school-and-career-counselors.htm">school counselors</a> and <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes193034.htm">school psychologists</a> is more than four times the number of <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes193033.htm">clinical psychologists</a> and <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes291223.htm">psychiatrists</a> in a given community.
Over <a href="https://effectiveschoolsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Mental-Health-Funding_Trends_FINAL_10_3_24.pdf">$130 billion</a> in federal and state funding has gone to school mental health in the past decade or so alone. Medicaid pays <a href="https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/about/offices/list/osers/docs/medicaid-funding-for-school-based-services-03-08-2024.pdf">$4 to 6 billion</a> annually for school districts to provide physical, mental, and behavioral health services, and states <a href="https://www.medicaid.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/sbs-guide-medicaid-services-administrative-claiming-ud.pdf#page=9">can pay</a> higher Medicaid rates for services in schools than in community healthcare settings.
None of this has produced results. Decades of evaluations show school-based <a href="https://media4.manhattan-institute.org/sites/default/files/Gorman-Mental-Health-First-Aid.pdf">mental health awareness training</a>, <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2682225/">mental health screening</a>, universal and targeted <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31734106/">prevention programs</a>, and even <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/1054139X9500236L">school-based health centers</a> have not improved outcomes relative to the absence of these services.
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Aggregate youth mental health outcomes have declined as school-based mental health services have expanded. Between 2016 and 2023, the prevalence of adolescent-diagnosed mental or behavioral health conditions <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK608531/#:~:text=Between%202016%20and,problems%20was%20stable.">increased</a> by 35%. In 2016, 4.1% of youth <a href="https://www.childhealthdata.org/browse/survey/archive2021/results?q=4992&amp;r=1">reportedly</a> had ADD or ADHD and received treatment for it. That rate has grown nearly three times as high. At least some of this has been documented as <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-ritalin-generation-1473630453">overdiagnosis</a> <a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/school-based-mental-health-initiatives-challenges-and-considerations-for-policymakers#:~:text=Federal%20guidance%20in,in%20decades%20prior.">driven by schools</a>. The youngest students in a given grade are disproportionately flagged by teachers and school staff as potentially having ADHD, then get diagnosed and medicated.
But school-based mental health has not simply had a poor return on investment. It also seriously undermines accountability for all parties. By confusing roles and responsibilities across the education and mental health systems, these programs give everyone involved — parents and teachers, students and school administrators — an excuse to point the finger elsewhere when grades, behavior, or student safety falls short of goals.  
Schools are not meant to provide mental health services. They&#8217;re meant to educate kids. Some die-hard proponents will debate that, suggesting schools are well-positioned to address mental health because it&#8217;s where kids spend most of their time, but that&#8217;s a weak argument: adults spend most of their time at work, but no one expects offices to offer psychotherapy or prescription refills.
Just as workplaces are meant for working, class time is meant for learning. Yet students are <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/schoolcounseling/comments/18cmp90/students_are_constantly_being_pulled_out_of_my/">routinely</a> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/1gdsoa1/behavioral_health_pulling_students_out_of_class/">pulled</a> from instruction for counseling or “emotional support.” When you consider that many school therapists think they can boost students&#8217; mental health by talking about <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pits.22606">racism</a> and <a href="https://www.portlandmh.com/decolonizing-mental-healthcare-and-mental-health-leadership-a-reflection-on-the-work-of-pavna-k-sodhi-edd/#:~:text=Colonialism%20has%20left,and%20social%20marginalization.">colonialist oppression,</a> it&#8217;s no wonder these efforts are failing while reading and math scores <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/09/09/nx-s1-5526918/nations-report-card-scores-reading-math-science-education-cuts">plummet.</a>
The best way for schools to help students&#8217; mental health is to simply be schools and be safe. Education has protective effects against poor mental health. ​Disorderly classrooms and violent hallways cause distress. Schools should clearly communicate and fairly enforce school discipline policies so that students know what behavior is expected and what happens when expectations aren&#8217;t met. Disruptive or violent students then learn consequences, and other students who&#8217;d otherwise be harmed know they&#8217;re protected.
When public schools aren’t doing what works, we know better than ever that there are alternatives to simply doubling down. 
***
Carolyn D. Gorman is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Sad teenage boy sitting by male counselor discussing in school office

It’s Time For Schools To Get Out Of The Mental Health Business

Medicaid

Mental Health

Private Schools

Public Schools

A University of Pennsylvania professor who was sanctioned by a court for acting in “bad faith” is set to teach a course on “misinformation” next year.
Michael Mann, a prominent climate activist and director of Penn’s Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, announced that he will again co-teach a course on climate change communication alongside Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The course, previously offered at the University of Pennsylvania, focuses in part on combating what Mann describes as a “surplus of misinformation” surrounding climate change.
“The problem isn’t so much a deficit of information; it’s a surplus of misinformation,” Mann said at a journalism conference, arguing that outright climate denial is fading and being replaced by what he calls “doomism, division, deflection, and delaying action.”
Mann recently confirmed the course’s return on a university podcast, describing it as a “real pleasure” to collaborate across Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences and the Annenberg School for Communication.
But Mann’s role as an authority on misinformation should draw scrutiny given his own legal history. A District of Columbia judge previously sanctioned Mann and his legal team, finding “by clear and convincing evidence” that they had acted in bad faith by presenting erroneous evidence and making false representations related to damages claims.
“Here, the Court finds… that Dr. Mann… acted in bad faith when they presented erroneous evidence and made false representations to the jury and the Court,” the <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/yixcqfv4h1idp1xt5elo7/2025.03.12-Order-Granting-Def-s-Sanctions-Mots.pdf?rlkey=yqactvu9h9bpwlyp6q2taaj7h&amp;st=g53sry23&amp;dl=0">ruling stated</a>. The court ordered Mann to pay more than $28,000 in legal fees. The controversy adds to a broader pattern of inflammatory rhetoric and political activism from Mann, who has repeatedly targeted conservatives in public statements and on social media.
Mann has compared prominent figures such as Peter Thiel, Charles Koch, and Rupert Murdoch to the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks, and previously wrote that the Republican Party should be “destroyed.” He deleted the posts, but they were saved in screenshots.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Michael Mann has been trafficking in violence-justifying (wink wink) Tweets for a long time
He is celebrated and rewarded for it in the climate community
His latest won&#8217;t change that <a href="https://t.co/YMpnmxAdWX">pic.twitter.com/YMpnmxAdWX</a>
— The Honest Broker (@RogerPielkeJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerPielkeJr/status/1966493707345019074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As reported by the <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/upenn-provost-resigns-after-boosting-social-media-post-likening-charlie-kirk-to-hitler-youth/">Washington Free Beacon</a>, Mann faced backlash for amplifying a social media post referring to conservative activist Charlie Kirk as “Hitler Youth,” a controversy that preceded his resignation as vice provost at Penn. He remains on faculty and continues to lead his research center.
The resignation came after Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) <a href="https://x.com/SenMcCormickPA/status/1966307689023287332?s=20">called on the university</a> to take “immediate, decisive action.”
Mann has also drawn criticism for comments interpreted as invoking political violence, including a post referencing “second amendment territory” in relation to President Donald Trump, he has since deleted the post, but it was <a href="https://archive.is/dSu5A">digitally archived</a> to verify.
The course’s co-instructor, Jamieson, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, which has itself <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-officials-demand-trump-admin-suspend-funding-of-science-org-over-climate-activism">faced scrutiny</a> over its handling of climate-related materials. Critics have pointed to the academy’s refusal to remove a controversial climate chapter from its judicial reference manual, even after the Federal Judicial Center declined to include it, citing concerns about bias.
Mann has also <a href="https://x.com/MichaelEMann/status/2034046926208045535?s=20">recently praised</a> the late biologist Paul Ehrlich, whose 1968 book &#8220;The Population Bomb&#8221; famously predicted mass starvation and societal collapse due to overpopulation — predictions that failed to materialize. Despite that track record, Mann continues to position himself as a leading voice on climate communication and misinformation.
The announcement of the course raises broader questions about credibility, academic standards, and whether individuals with documented histories of misleading claims should be tasked with defining “misinformation” for the next generation of students.

Image 3

What’s Being Taught Behind Ivy League Doors? Inside Controversial ‘Misinformation’ Course

Climate Change

Misinformation

U.S.

University of Pennsylvania

While the Iranian regime continues to attack the United States — either directly or through proxy terrorist organizations — some of the regime&#8217;s leaders have sent their own children to the United States, and a number have made themselves at home at American universities.
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/18/world-news/children-of-iran-regime-leaders-teaching-at-elite-us-universities/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social">shared a list</a> of several prominent Iranian leaders who have children teaching at universities in the United States — and although the report noted that none of those employed in the United States have been linked to any nefarious activity, allowing people with such close ties to regime leadership to teach American students could eventually present a risk.
<a href="https://www.fdd.org/team/janatan-sayeh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Janatan Sayeh</a>, an Iran analyst at Washington, D.C.-based think tank the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, explained: &#8220;I would think that there would be a security risk as Iranian academics have been critical in forming public opinion on the left in the US, essentially deceiving liberals into thinking that the regime is more progressive, when it’s still advancing the same hardline agenda.&#8221;
Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, for example, initially came to the United States for cancer treatment. A medical doctor who worked at Emory University in Atlanta until January, she is also the daughter of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/iranian-intelligence-chief-eliminated-in-overnight-israeli-strike">Ali Larijani</a> — an Iranian leader who was killed in an airstrike on Tuesday.
Lawdan Bazargan, with the Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists, noted the irony of Ardeshir-Larijani&#8217;s presence in the United States — especially given who her father was. &#8220;The daughter of Ali Larijani came to the United States for cancer treatment, the very country her family’s system condemns, while millions of Iranians are denied access to basic health care and opportunity.&#8221;
Larijani&#8217;s employment at Emory University was <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/emory-university-dismisses-daughter-senior-iranian-official-ali-larijani-campus-demonstrations">terminated</a> in January, amid protests calling for her to be fired, deported, or both. Her dismissal came just weeks after her father was sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department &#8220;for coordinating the response to the protests on behalf of the Supreme Leader of Iran&#8221; and because he &#8220;has publicly called for Iranian security forces to use force to repress peaceful protesters.&#8221;
Leila Khatami, the daughter of former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, teaches math at Schenectady&#8217;s Union College. Her ties to the regime run even deeper, as her aunt was the granddaughter of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who claimed the title of Supreme Leader from 1979 until he died in 1989.
Khatami&#8217;s photo and bio were removed from Union&#8217;s faculty website after the United States and Israel began their joint campaign against the Iranian regime. The page listing her as a professor of mathematics shows only her <a href="https://www.union.edu/mathematics/faculty-staff/leila-khatami">name and title</a>.
According to the Post&#8217;s report, thousands of children of Iranian elites are currently living in the United States.

The Iranian Delegation Attends The 129th Assembly Of The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)

Their Parents Run The Iranian Regime. They’re Teaching Your Kids At American Universities.

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Military

Politics

World

Last week, my home state of Michigan witnessed something truly terrifying: a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-respond-to-reports-of-active-shooter-as-michigan-synagogue-goes-up-in-smoke">terrorist attack</a> at a house of worship. The attacker drove a vehicle filled with explosives into a synagogue in West Bloomfield, a suburb of Detroit, just a few hours outside of my district.
Thankfully, on-site security personnel quickly intervened — stopping the terrorist and preventing any injury to the innocent children or staff inside. I am grateful to these guardians for responding quickly to safeguard those innocent lives, and I pray for the recovery of those injured in stopping this despicable attack.
This attack, however, isn’t an isolated incident. It is part of a broader and deeply troubling rise in antisemitism that has spread across our country since the October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel.
Nowhere is that rise more evident than on our college campuses.
Students have been whipped into an activist frenzy targeting Israel and the Jewish people.
Rather than stamping out the antisemitic fervor, faculty are fanning the flames. Many campus leaders seem completely unwilling to do anything about it.
<div id="attachment_1062451" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1062451" class="size-large wp-image-1062451" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2154554442-864x576.jpg" alt="TOPSHOT - Pro-Palestinian protesters, some wearing cap and gown, hold signs and chant at a rally in front of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 28, 2024. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2154554442-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2154554442-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2154554442-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2154554442.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images</div>
On campuses across the nation — regardless of size or location — student groups are organizing to harass and intimidate Jewish students. Groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) are the ringleaders, often with the backing of similar faculty organizations.
At Columbia University, antisemitic demonstrators stormed a library, disrupted students, and chanted slogans like “from the river to the sea.” Eden Yadegar, my guest to President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress last year, described it as “disrupting one of the most basic functions of the university.”
All too often, this chaos leads to violence. The House Committee on Education and Workforce — of which I am the <a href="https://edworkforce.house.gov/">chairman</a> — heard from Michael Kaminsky, a student at DePaul University and a first-generation American who was assaulted by masked attackers for his efforts to promote dialogue about Israel and the Jewish faith. He was left with a fractured wrist, and his friend was knocked unconscious.
This is not what college should be. Students should be focused on learning and growing — not fearing harassment or assault because of their identities.
These actions are not happening in a vacuum. They are being encouraged — sometimes openly — by faculty.
At Haverford College, Tarik Aougab — a member of Haverford Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FSJP) — labeled pro-Israel students as “racist genocidaires” while praising the October 7 attacks as “a historic moment.”
At the University of California, Berkeley, a professor posted that he “could have been one of those who broke the siege.”
At MIT, former linguistics professor Michel DeGraff accused a student of having a Zionist “mind infection.”
<div id="attachment_1062465" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1062465" class="size-large wp-image-1062465" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2205276310-864x576.jpg" alt="Michel DeGraff a former professor of linguistics and now faculty at large of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) attends a protest at city hall in Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 9, 2024. The protest calls for the city to intervene and take action against MIT for its role in the Israeli and Palestinian conflict and for MIT to loose its non profit status. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2205276310-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2205276310-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2205276310-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2205276310.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images</div>
This kind of rhetoric has consequences.
Let’s be clear: for many Jewish Americans, Israel is central to their identity. When students are targeted under the guise of “anti-Zionism,” the line between activism and antisemitism is not just crossed — it’s erased.
And yet, too many university leaders have failed to meet this moment.
Time and again, university presidents have come before this Committee and refused to take responsibility. They hedge, they equivocate, and they fail to enforce even their own rules.
The result is what we see today: antisemitism that is spreading, intensifying, and, in some cases, turning violent.
My Committee has released a report documenting just how serious this problem has become.
The findings are clear: weak leadership, radical faculty, and emboldened student groups have created an environment where antisemitism festers — and Jewish students are paying the price.
This cannot continue.
* * *
Tim Walberg represents Michigan’s 5th Congressional District and is serving his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He currently chairs the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Protesters Gather Outside Pro-Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil’s Court Conference In New York

The Profs Aren’t Alright: How Radical Faculty Fuel The Rise Of Campus Antisemitism

The Profs Aren't Alright: How Radical Faculty Fuel The Rise Of Campus Antisemitism

American Universities

antisemitism

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Columbia University

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October 7

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U.S. House of Representatives

According to a new law, all public and private schools in Pennsylvania will be required to add cursive handwriting lessons into their curriculum beginning next month.
The bill was signed into law by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) last month and will take effect on April 12. It also had bipartisan support and passed the House 195‑8 and the Senate 42‑5 before being signed by the governor, according to <a href="https://www.fox29.com/news/pennsylvania-schools-will-be-required-teach-cursive-again-starting-april">Fox 29 Philadelphia.</a>
PA Senator and bill sponsor Wayne Langerholic (R) said in a statement that &#8220;by reintegrating cursive into the curriculum…we are investing in our students’ cognitive development, strengthening their legal preparedness and preserving their connection to historical literacy.&#8221;
&#8220;Cursive is more than handwriting. It’s a bridge,&#8221; Rep. Dane Watro (R), a cosponsor of the bill, said in a statement. &#8220;It connects us to our history, strengthens learning and deepens our understanding of the world. By teaching cursive, we’re equipping students with skills that sharpen the mind and safeguard our shared heritage.&#8221;
There’s been a big debate over cursive writing instruction ever since the Common Core Standards for public school education, which were adopted in 2010, did not include a cursive handwriting requirement. Those standards stressed printed writing and keyboard skills to be used for writing instead. 
One recent <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11943480/">study</a> found that cursive helps children with brain development. 
“The Neuroscience Behind Writing” found that “cursive writing involves greater activation of the motor cortex and cerebellum, as it requires fine motor coordination and smooth transitions between letters.” The report went on to note that, …this fluidity enhances memory retention and cognitive engagement, as the writer must anticipate the next letter in a continuous motion.”
Per the website <a href="https://mycursive.com/states-that-require-cursive-writing/#:~:text=Arizona,introduced%20as%20recently%20as%202022.)">MyCursive</a>, almost half of states still require or encourage cursive instruction in the classroom. That number has been steadily increasing over the years. 
New Jersey just updated their cursive writing requirements earlier this year as Governor Phil Murphy (D ) signed a cursive mandate into law just before leaving office in January. The new standards will go into effect next school year for students.
“We owe it to our students to give them a well-rounded education that ensures they have the tools to fully understand our rich history and become competent leaders,” Murphy said in a statement at the time, per the <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/01/20/us-news/nj-flips-script-mandates-teaching-cursive-writing-in-schools-starting-next-fall/">New York Post</a>.

cursive handwriting

Cursive Makes A Comeback In Pennsylvania Schools

Cursive Handwriting Instruction Will Be Required In Pennsylvania Schools

Josh Shapiro

Pennsylvania

Schools

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
When Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged travelers to return to more respectful attire, he was met with vicious backlash. People called his PSA racist, classist, and prudish despite him asking for what would have been considered the bare minimum just decades ago. Similarly, when the Tampa International Airport banned pajamas, outraged fliers vowed to never visit Tampa again. These measures aren’t just a push for aesthetic decorum but are active efforts to help mitigate the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fear-of-flying-faith-salie-on-secretary-duffy-and-the-pajama-resistance/">400%</a> increase of “in-flight outbursts” Duffy cited.
People can cling to their right to pajamas all they want, but the way people dress is one of the best indicators of social respect. As a recent college graduate, I&#8217;ve seen firsthand how dressing well can transform an academic experience.
When I was four, the greatest dread in my life was getting ready for school in the morning. I attended a classical Christian academy, whose strict dress code applied even to the preschool students. The boys were expected to wear crisp white shirts and black trousers, while we girls wore red tartan dresses. Over the years, I grew accustomed to wearing a uniform. They were old-fashioned, but they ensured a standard of neatness and modesty throughout the student body. Most of the students complained about wanting to wear more casual clothing, but complaints were quickly dismissed as we redirected our attention on learning Latin or reading great books. 
My first day at a public high school was shocking for several reasons. I was stunned to see kids vaping, cursing, and shoving one another around. After years attending private schools, it intrigued my rebellious teenage attitude. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the way people were dressed: Some boys wore pajama pants and crude t-shirts, some girls donned crop tops and mini shorts that wouldn’t be appropriate at any age, and a majority wore nothing but sweatpants and sweatshirts. The student body’s appearance fit the school system’s low expectations. 
After four years of public high school, I thought that a Christian college would have a higher standard for personal grooming. The day before my classes began, I picked out a cute dress to wear. I stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone was wearing athletic shirts, sweatpants, and sweatshirts. The students walked around the hallways with headphones on and their eyes glazed over. During class periods, they fiddled with their laptops, didn’t take notes, and often kept at least one of their AirPods in. Their clothing matched their attitude. The students were late to class, rarely finished assignments on time, and hardly ever engaged in thoughtful conversations. Even in a Christian, collegiate setting, there was a total lack of respect for social order. 
I quickly realized that I needed to find an institution where intellectual growth was the actual priority. Transferring schools was my only hope. When I toured Hillsdale College, I felt like I stepped back in time. Every corner of the campus looked like a Norman Rockwell painting brought to life. Professors sat underneath statues in three-piece suits. The young men surrounding them dressed the same as they smoked pipes and talked philosophy. Young women wearing sundresses would set up picnic blankets in the sun to read Homer. Even the athletes and artists had time to change out of soiled clothes and into something fresh and neat for seminars. There is no official dress code, but the young people at Hillsdale were anxious to learn. Their passion was reflected in their appearance. 
Our culture often tries to disconnect people from their physical bodies. This is why movements like transgenderism have been able to take hold of the culture: the belief that your body and your personhood will not necessarily align. However, our bodies and our personal grooming habits are often good representations of our souls. Although there can be exceptions, the way we look can be a reliable measure of how we feel about both ourselves and the world around us. 
Dressing for comfort is convenient. In the age of social media, DoorDash, and Netflix, convenience often becomes our priority. We want things fast and easy; we want to throw on a hoodie and joggers and avoid making eye contact with anyone at the risk of engaging in small talk. This is not the behavior of a healthy society, but of a utilitarian regime. Frank Sinatra, who had a strict standard of rules for style, used to instruct people, “If black tie is optional, wear it.”
Dressing well requires both time and intention. It is something that we don’t do for ourselves, but out of respect for those around us. It is a way to express our gratitude for the social order. In return, good attire gives its wearers esteem and confidence. When students wore suits and skirts to class, as opposed to athleisure, their demeanor changed. They walked, talked, and thought confidently. They had deeper relationships with their fellow students, their professors, and even the custodial staff. They were not simply trying to get a degree but were deeply invested in growing into fully fleshed-out individuals.
Researchers often refer to this as &#8220;enclothed cognition,&#8221; which shows how one’s clothing directly affects their psychological processes. In a <a href="https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/introducing-enclothed-cognition-how-what-we-wear-affects-how-we-think">test</a>, researchers split 58 science students into two groups. One of the groups performed a series of tests while wearing white lab coats, which are typically associated with intelligence and status. The other group was allowed to wear their own clothes. The group wearing lab coats did significantly better, making “half as many errors.&#8221;
We can see the effects of poor dressing in all areas of society, from businesses to churches to public parks. The way we dress corresponds to the way we behave. If we want to restore this country’s virtues, there needs to be a polite group effort that begins among Gen Z. Encouraging official or unofficial dress codes in schools may help heal the damage of social slovenliness. To love America is to dress the part. It’s time we teach kids that both are important.
***
Brooke Brandtjen is a writer and journalist from Wisconsin who focuses primarily on culture, politics, and religion. She is a senior contributor at New Guard Press, a publication she joined while attending Hillsdale College.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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The Old-School Rule That Might Fix More Than Just How Kids Dress

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Gen Z

Upstream

Hillsdale College announced Friday that Erika Kirk, CEO of Turning Point USA and widow of its founder, Charlie Kirk, will serve as the keynote speaker during graduation ceremonies this May.
“Charlie Kirk became a national and international sensation, and he built something amazing. At his memorial service were the great, the near-great, and tens of millions watching. But that isn’t why we loved him. We loved him because he was, at heart, a student who worked hard to get it right,” Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn <a href="https://www.hillsdale.edu/news-and-media/press-releases/hillsdale-college-announces-erika-kirk-as-2026-commencement-speaker/">said in a statement</a>. “Erika Kirk, brave and widowed, intends to carry on. And we will help her.”
Dr. Arnn <a href="https://www.hillsdale.edu/news-and-media/press-releases/hillsdale-college-to-award-honorary-degrees-to-charlie-and-erika-kirk/">announced</a> during Kirk’s memorial service in September that Hillsdale College will confer honorary doctorates on both Charlie and Erika Kirk at the May 2026 graduation ceremony. Previous honorary degree recipients include Justice Clarence Thomas, Edwin J. Feulner, Bishop Robert Barron, Pat and Lesly Sajak, and Victor Davis Hanson.
&#8220;I&#8217;m privileged to know lots and lots of high-minded, intelligent and serious young people,&#8221; Arnn said. &#8220;Charlie is one of the best I ever saw. It&#8217;s an honor to have known him.&#8221;
Kirk became the CEO of TPUSA following the assassination of her husband last September. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from Arizona State University and a Juris Master in American legal studies from Liberty University.
“It is a great honor to be invited to speak at the Hillsdale College Graduation Ceremony on May 9,” Kirk said. “Charlie loved Hillsdale deeply and was often a grateful student of its online courses, learning from Dr. Larry Arnn and the remarkable faculty, who are so committed to truth and the pursuit of wisdom.”
“Hillsdale represents something rare in our time — a steadfast devotion to faith, learning, and the principles that sustain a free nation,” she added. “I am sincerely grateful for the invitation and look forward to being there with all of you. God bless you.”
Hillsdale, an independent liberal arts college in southern Michigan, is revered for being one of the only institutions of higher learning with a strong conservative Christian identity. Founded in 1844, the college has a reputation for offering a classical liberal arts core curriculum and never accepting federal or state taxpayer subsidies, including student grants or loans.

Erika Kirk

Hillsdale College Announces Erika Kirk Will Serve As Commencement Speaker

Charlie Kirk

Hillsdale College

A liberal Maryland county will shell out $1.5 million to a group of religious parents who sued the school board over a policy that blocked parents from opting their children out of instruction on books pushing transgender ideology.  
In addition to paying damages, the board of education for Montgomery County must inform parents whenever there will be instruction related to family life and human sexuality. The <a href="https://becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/20260219151333/Consent-Judgment-in-Mahmoud-v-Taylor.pdf">settlement</a> comes after a group of parents from various religious backgrounds won a major victory at the Supreme Court that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-sides-with-parents-says-schools-cant-mandate-lgbt-curricula">struck down</a> the county’s opt-out policies as unconstitutional. 
The settlement was announced on Friday by Becket, a non-profit law firm focused on litigation issues related to religious liberty. It was approved by Judge Deborah Boardman in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. 
“Public schools nationwide are on notice: running roughshod over parental rights and religious freedom isn’t just illegal — it’s costly,” said Eric Baxter, senior counsel at Becket and lead attorney for the parents. “This settlement enforces the Supreme Court’s ruling and ensures parents, not government bureaucrats, have the final say in how their children are raised.” 
Montgomery County is a heavily Democratic area that borders Washington, D.C. 
In June 2025, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-sides-with-parents-says-schools-cant-mandate-lgbt-curricula">ruled 6-3</a> in favor of the parents against the county, with Justice Samuel Alito writing the majority opinion. 
“A government burdens the religious exercise of parents when it requires them to submit their children to instruction that poses ‘a very real threat of undermining’ the religious beliefs and practices that the parents wish to instill,” Alito wrote.
The legal battle first began in March 2023, when the school board said that it would no longer let parents opt out of books pushing transgender and queer ideology. In response, a group of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish parents challenged the county in Mahmoud v. Taylor.
“It took tremendous courage for these parents to stand up to the School Board and take their case all the way to the Supreme Court,” Baxter said. “Their victory reshaped the law and ensured that generations of religious parents will be able to guide their children’s upbringing according to their faith.”
Chris Persak, a Catholic father whose children attend Montgomery County schools, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/caught-in-a-scotus-clash-over-trans-ideology-parents-turned-to-faith-and-the-constitution">previously told</a> The Daily Wire it was his faith that helped him stay calm throughout the whole legal process. 
“We said prayers of the Holy Spirit, and just felt this unbelievable calmness as we’re walking in,” he said. “Even with the protesters, even with members of the leadership of Montgomery County, who were protesting against us live that day.”

Supreme Court Hears Arguments On Parental Rights Regarding LGBTQ Books In Schools

Liberal County Took On Religious Parents — Now They’re Paying For It

Liberal County Must Pay Parents After Losing SCOTUS Case On Trans Ideology

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Montgomery County

Eighth-grade students at a Minnesota middle school were taught in geography class that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents use “tricky &amp; violent tactics,” and were given extra credit for watching a British-produced video on the problem of illegal immigration in the United States.
Materials <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/minnesota-eighth-graders-shown-videos-of-ice-arrests-and-alleged-harassment-of-u-s-citizens-principal-says-its-part-of-state-geography-standards/">obtained</a> by Defending Education show that the students at Hermantown Community School were given a highly politicized lesson on illegal immigration and ICE operations. The materials included a PowerPoint that adopted left-wing talking points on immigration and a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UznGbkMcEGw&amp;t=1s">video</a> produced by a British broadcaster on ICE operations in Chicago.
The instruction at the Duluth-area school took place in December 2025 and featured a PowerPoint where students were asked: “In what ways do people think the Ice agents have ‘gone too far’?”
The answer said that ICE agents use “tricky &amp; violent tactics,” that people have died in ICE custody, that agents have not filed “proper paperwork to track arrests,” and wear “masks to hide identities,” according to slides shared with The Daily Wire by Defending Education. 
<div id="attachment_1043893" style="width: 1458px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1043893" class="size-full wp-image-1043893" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.34.27-PM.png" alt="" width="1448" height="282" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.34.27-PM.png 1448w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.34.27-PM-300x58.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.34.27-PM-1024x199.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.34.27-PM-768x150.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1448px) 100vw, 1448px" />Defending Education.</div>
Another slide accused ICE of arresting and harassing “thousands of LEGAL immigrants and 170 U.S. citizens — including being dragged, tackled, beaten, tased.&#8221; A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QUG8czGScU&amp;t=395s">video</a> linked to in the presenation accused ICE of spying on American citizens. 
<div id="attachment_1044497" style="width: 1555px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1044497" class="size-full wp-image-1044497" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-16-at-10.38.40-AM.png" alt="" width="1545" height="1032" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-16-at-10.38.40-AM.png 1545w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-16-at-10.38.40-AM-300x200.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-16-at-10.38.40-AM-862x576.png 862w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-16-at-10.38.40-AM-768x513.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-16-at-10.38.40-AM-1536x1026.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1545px) 100vw, 1545px" />Defending Education</div>
One slide alleged that detainees were being placed “in overcrowded &amp; inhumane detention centers: super hot or cold, lights on 24/7, solitary confinement in a 2&#215;2 foot box, overflowing toilets, long term shackling &#8230; lacking medical care.” That slide also featured a graphic of a poster claiming the United States was “torturing migrants and asylum seekers.”
<div id="attachment_1043895" style="width: 1420px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1043895" class="size-full wp-image-1043895" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.51.25-PM.png" alt="" width="1410" height="1070" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.51.25-PM.png 1410w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.51.25-PM-300x228.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.51.25-PM-759x576.png 759w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.51.25-PM-768x583.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1410px) 100vw, 1410px" />Defending Education.</div>
Another slide downplayed the crime of illegally crossing into the United States.
“The government said they were going to focus on undocumented CRIMINALS, but they are actually deporting mostly otherwise law-abiding undocumented people,” the slide read.
<div id="attachment_1043897" style="width: 1436px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1043897" class="size-full wp-image-1043897" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.58.14-PM.png" alt="" width="1426" height="1072" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.58.14-PM.png 1426w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.58.14-PM-300x226.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.58.14-PM-766x576.png 766w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-13-at-1.58.14-PM-768x577.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1426px) 100vw, 1426px" />Defending Education.</div>
In an email obtained by Defending Education, Middle School Principal William Wietman said the presentation was in line with state geography guidelines.
“All of our social studies classes have a current events component to them and this information is part of the MN standards in geography,” he wrote.
Nicole Neily, founder and president of Defending Education, told The Daily Wire that the presentation was an example of students being subjected to leftist politics while in the classroom.
&#8220;It&#8217;s bad enough that this biased lesson is replete with falsehoods — but [for] the school principal to defend such garbage truly adds insult to injury,” she said. “Students are being force-fed ideological propaganda during finite lesson time (when they&#8217;re not being encouraged by activist teachers to walk out of their classrooms, that is) and told what to think, rather than how to think. It&#8217;s little wonder that families are fleeing the public education system in droves.”
Students in the class were also given an opportunity to watch a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UznGbkMcEGw&amp;t=1s">19-minute video</a> on their own time for extra credit. The video was produced by the British government-owned broadcaster “Channel 4 News.”
The narrator of the video said that those detained by ICE were denied “due process” and that President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration could “forever” change “America&#8217;s reputation as the land of the free.” He claimed that Trump wasn’t focused on “keeping people out” but “kicking them out instead.”
The British host also claimed that “most people in the U.S. without legal immigration status aren&#8217;t criminals,” ignoring the fact that they broke the law by sneaking into the country.
Another slide linked to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGS90uRQOpY">video</a> from 2016 called “TRUMP IS WRONG: The USA Is ALREADY Great!” One of the reasons cited was having the “world’s largest immigrant population,” and that this “diversity” meant “we get to eat delicious food.”
Part of the <a href="https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/2076/Hcs/a5fc7d2a-bff6-4408-ac9a-7a277cd6dc4b/601_School_District_Curriculum_and_Instruction.pdf?disposition=inline">stated goals</a> of Hermantown Community Schools is to use a curriculum that is “antiracist” and “culturally sustaining.” It defines antiracist as “actively working to identify and eliminate racism in all forms in order to change policies, behaviors, and beliefs that perpetuate racist ideas and actions,” and “culturally sustaining” as integrating the practices of “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities who have been and continue to be harmed and erased through the education system.”

MixCollage-16-Feb-2026-10-40-AM-9724

SEE IT: The Anti-ICE Slideshow Given To A Middle School Geography Class

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Minnesota

High school student filling out test answers with pen

San Francisco Banned ‘Racist’ Algebra A Decade Ago. The Results Are Now In.

San Francisco Banned 'Racist' Algebra A Decade Ago. The Results Are Now In.

Blacks

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

High School

Mathematics

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Teenagers

Violence

Whites

One of the nation&#8217;s largest teachers unions promoted a “summer of resistance” against the federal government and claimed that students had been kidnapped by federal officers. 
The United Teachers Los Angeles union gave a presentation last year on “Preparing for ICE at your school” that pushed its members to engage in political activism and suggested utilizing school resources to thwart Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, according to <a href="https://defendinged.org/incidents/united-teachers-of-los-angeles-utla-planning-documents-and-materials-appear-to-advocate-for-use-of-school-resources-as-form-of-resistance-against-ice-promote-engaging-students-in-community-se/">materials obtained</a> by Defending Education. The training came after parts of Los Angeles were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-are-coming-for-you-feds-reveal-more-charges-against-anti-ice-rioters">rocked by violent anti-ICE riots</a> that prompted President Donald Trump to send in the National Guard. 
The presentation pointed educators to how they could fight back against the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and urged parents and teachers to collaborate on &#8220;resistance&#8221; efforts. It appeared to be created as part of the union&#8217;s broader <a href="https://utla.net/app/uploads/2025/08/Immigration-Enforcement-Safety-Review-FINAL.pdf">efforts</a> &#8220;to build a comprehensive to immigration enforcement.&#8221; 
Defending Education director of research Rhyen Staley told The Daily Wire that the training was another example of how teachers&#8217; unions push leftist politics over education. 
“Unfortunately, these documents are another reminder that the teachers&#8217; unions, especially UTLA, are focused on far-left social justice activism and advancing unpopular ideologies over how to improve the academic outcomes of the students they serve,” he told The Daily Wire. “But what is deeply appalling is the willingness of teachers to incentivize minors to engage in radical practices that could potentially put them in harm&#8217;s way.”
The training, which Defending Education noted was created by two members of the union and teachers at the Los Angeles Unified School District, walked educators through legal actions taken to block certain ICE operations in Los Angeles over the summer that culminated in a leftist judge blocking the agency from conducting broad immigration sweeps. 
The training did not appear to mention the violence of the anti-ICE protests, which included setting cop cars on fire, vandalism, and assaults on state and federal law enforcement. 
<div id="attachment_1041161" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1041161" class="size-full wp-image-1041161" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2219241406.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 08: Protesters hold up flags during protests after a series of immigration raids on June 08, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Tensions in the city remain high after the Trump administration called in the National Guard against the wishes of city leaders. " width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2219241406.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2219241406-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2219241406-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2219241406-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.</div>
“The fight is far from over, we need to keep fighting together!” a slide shared with educators read. Another slide titled &#8220;What can you do?&#8221; instructed educators on how to take action against ICE operations. 
The suggested actions included joining &#8220;court watch and rally calls,” and funding &#8220;community defense work.”
“The government will likely fight back. But the spotlight is now on DHS’s unlawful practices — and our resistance is working!” the slide read. These resources appeared to be pulled from the used materials from the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
<div id="attachment_1041165" style="width: 2028px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1041165" class="size-full wp-image-1041165" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-09-at-10.58.52-AM.png" alt="" width="2018" height="1104" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-09-at-10.58.52-AM.png 2018w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-09-at-10.58.52-AM-300x164.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-09-at-10.58.52-AM-1024x560.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-09-at-10.58.52-AM-768x420.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-09-at-10.58.52-AM-1536x840.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 2018px) 100vw, 2018px" />Training obtained by Defending Education.</div>
Another slide highlighted alleged “student kidnappings,” including one that involved a 6-year-old boy with leukemia who was <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/06/30/dhs-debunks-fake-news-media-narratives-june#:~:text=The%20implication%20that%20ICE%20would%20deny%20a,regularly%20by%20medical%20professionals%20while%20in%20custody.">kept</a> with his illegal immigrant parents after an immigration judge ruled against their case. He was not denied or prevented from accessing medical treatment, as was suggested in some reports. 
One slide listed specific actions the United Teachers Los Angeles had taken regarding the ICE raids. This included partnering with “other unions for the summer of resistance” for “20 days of non-violent protest and action.” 
It also noted that the union and the Los Angeles Unified School District had agreed to “bargaining language” that declares that “the buildings and grounds of LAUSD (including pick-up and drop-off sites at all entries and exits) are sanctuary spaces for all students, parents, administrators, bargaining unit members, and community members at the school for school-related business and jointly committed to defend the right to a free and safe learning environment to the extent permitted by law.”
A spokesman for the district told The Daily Wire that it &#8220;follows applicable laws and District policies, which employees are expected to follow during the workday and in their interactions with students.&#8221;
The next slide featured suggested actions for members of the union, including “community patrols,” “age-appropriate rallies,” and in-school student protests.
<div id="attachment_1041173" style="width: 2033px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1041173" class="size-full wp-image-1041173" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-09-at-2.21.20-PM.png" alt="" width="2023" height="1226" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-09-at-2.21.20-PM.png 2023w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-09-at-2.21.20-PM-300x182.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-09-at-2.21.20-PM-950x576.png 950w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-09-at-2.21.20-PM-768x465.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-09-at-2.21.20-PM-1536x931.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 2023px) 100vw, 2023px" />Training obtained by Defending Education.</div>
The training documents also suggest using Local School Leadership Councils “as a form of resistance.” These are groups of elected parents, community members, and school officials who oversee certain aspects of school policy. 
One of the policy areas this group oversees is discipline and student safety, and suggestions included the LAUSD “revamping tardy policy to get students into building,” pushing “LAUSD for ‘lock down’ if ICE is on/near campus – shelter in place,” “engaging students in community self-defense – offer service learning hours,” keeping “students away from gates at lunch/recess,” and “patroling school sites depending on community.”
<div id="attachment_1041517" style="width: 2040px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1041517" class="size-full wp-image-1041517" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-10-at-8.48.16-AM.png" alt="" width="2030" height="1242" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-10-at-8.48.16-AM.png 2030w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-10-at-8.48.16-AM-300x184.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-10-at-8.48.16-AM-941x576.png 941w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-10-at-8.48.16-AM-768x470.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-10-at-8.48.16-AM-1536x940.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 2030px) 100vw, 2030px" />Defending Education.</div>
Other notes suggested using professional development time to make “immigration kits.”
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/schools-arent-off-limits-for-ice-raids-trump-dhs-says">withdrew</a> a Biden-era policy that stipulated that schools were off limits for immigration enforcement operations. 
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said on January 21.

ICE Immigration Protest

‘Summer of Resistance’: Docs Reveal How California Teachers Were Trained To Fight Back Against ICE

‘Summer of Resistance’: Docs Reveal How Teachers Were Trained To Fight Back Against ICE

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Los Angeles

Teachers Unions

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