Much to the annoyance of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-school-teacher-with-no-interest-in-defunding-the-police-takes-stand-for-first-amendment-rights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenn Laird</a> refuses to go away quietly.
After decades as a Los Angeles teacher, Laird is involved in a messy <a href="https://www.freedomfoundation.com/labor/la-teacher-sues-utla-says-demand-to-defund-police-was-the-last-straw/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> with the union over its reluctance to allow him to opt out of membership and dues as prescribed by law. Last week, the case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. 
What makes his experience so compelling for the public — and embarrassing for UTLA — is that Laird is neither a malcontent nor a union-basher by inclination. He is, in fact, a much-decorated educator who served for many years as UTLA campus chapter co-chair.
But when the union began advocating several years ago to “defund the police” and put students’ and teachers’ lives at risk, he’d had enough.
Over the years, Laird has witnessed countless violent acts on campus, including the death of a former student, and was outraged that UTLA would call for the removal of law enforcement from the district’s schools.
“I couldn’t in good conscience continue to pay dues to an organization that was campaigning against something that is so personal to me,” explained Laird. “I support fully funding the police to keep our students safe.”
He responded by opting out of his UTLA membership and requesting it stop taking his money to fund messaging with which he disagrees.
His legal right to do so is unequivocal. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in Janus v. AFSCME that unions could no longer take public employees’ money for use in political speech without their consent.
The ruling also specified that by agreeing to give money to a public labor union, workers are waiving their First Amendment right against compelled speech.
In the case of Glenn Laird, UTLA tried to have it both ways.
They told Laird his previous agreement was an effective waiver of his First Amendment rights, even though he signed it before Janus was even decided.
Even more to the point, the union refused to honor the terms of Laird’s actual agreement, which allowed him to end the deduction of his money. He specifically objected to the last union agreement he signed with UTLA by striking out the language supposedly restricting his ability to end his membership at any time with a felt marker.
UTLA kept taking his money without his consent anyway.
In other words, the First Amendment did not matter.
Left with no alternative, Laird took UTLA and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to federal court. Represented pro bono by the Freedom Foundation, he asked the court to rule on the scope of his constitutional rights, and to acknowledge UTLA’s violations.
But UTLA doesn’t want a judge to decide the constitutional claims.
Instead, its leaders cut him a check for the money deducted from his pay without his consent and asked him to please drop the case.
This tactic has become all too common among public unions trying to avoid their responsibilities under the First Amendment.
Laird refused to dismiss his lawsuit, and with good reason. Because his case is about more than the return of his money. In fact, Laird is donating the entire amount he received from UTLA to a nonprofit group that helps disadvantaged students in the Los Angeles area.
When judges at both the lower court level and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the union, the Freedom Foundation filed a request with the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in.
Glenn Laird’s case is about a judicial acknowledgment and vindication of his First Amendment rights by a federal judge. As long as unions can cut checks using their members’ dues dollars to make lawsuits disappear, judges will never have the opportunity to rule on the actual constitutional issues, rendering the First Amendment and Janus decision meaningless.
“Hopefully the Supreme Court will find my case worthy of making a ruling,” concluded Laird. “Janus set the stage, but now we need to build on that precedent so unions and lower court judges don’t continue to ignore the Supremes.”
While it should not take a federal lawsuit for unions to recognize their responsibilities under the Constitution, UTLA doesn’t get to put a price tag on the First Amendment and cannot kill a case by simply doing the right thing after the fact.
For one principled Los Angeles teacher, the fight is far from over.
* * *
Timothy R. Snowball is a civil rights attorney with Freedom Foundation, where his practice is focused on protecting the First Amendment rights of government workers to make their own decisions about whether to join or support public sector unions.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Supreme Court and Cherry Blossoms

L.A. Teacher’s Fight With Union Appealed To Supreme Court

L.A. Teacher's Fight With Union Appealed To Supreme Court

Defund The Police

Education

Los Angeles

Police

Readers Pass

Supreme Court

Teachers Unions

A parental rights group has filed a federal complaint against public schools in Portland, Oregon, for taking gender identity and race into account when disciplining students.
On Thursday, Parents Defending Education filed a federal civil rights <a target="_blank" href="https://defendinged.org/complaints/ocr-complaint-portland-public-schools-2/" rel="noopener">complaint</a> with the Department of Education against Portland Public Schools, criticizing the district&#8217;s new discipline policy.
&#8220;Portland Public Schools has enacted several concerning policies that treat students and educators differently based on race and gender identity,&#8221; including &#8220;disciplining some students and not others, solely based on immutable characteristics,&#8221; reads the complaint.
&#8220;Accordingly, we ask that the Department promptly investigate the allegations in this complaint, act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief,&#8221; the complaint says.
The new discipline policy is part of a collective bargaining <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pps.net/cms/lib/OR01913224/Centricity/Domain/56/Tentative%20Agreements%20Combined%2011.27.23%20PAT.pdf" rel="noopener">agreement</a> between Portland Public Schools and its unionized teachers, which ended a nearly month-long strike in late November.
When a student engages in “continuous disruptive behavior,” school officials must develop a “support plan” for the student that “must take into consideration the impact of issues related to the student’s trauma, race, gender identity/presentation, sexual orientation, disability, social emotional learning, and restorative justice as appropriate for the student,” the agreement <a target="_blank" href="https://defendinged.org/complaints/ocr-complaint-portland-public-schools-2/" rel="noopener">states</a>.
“Teachers in Portland Public Schools are encouraged to discipline students based on their race and it&#8217;s appalling,&#8221; said Caroline Moore, vice president of Parents Defending Education.
&#8220;The teachers wanted to amend the policy so desperately that they included the provision in their strike agreement. This is corrupt and un-American. I’m anxiously awaiting the U.S. Department of Education’s investigation into this district&#8217;s unlawful practices,&#8221; Moore said.
The new disciplinary policy also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/portland-teachers-will-take-gender-identity-race-into-account-before-disciplining" rel="noopener">prohibits</a> suspending a student who threatens or harms other people. Those students may now only be removed from their classroom and sent to a “self-regulation space” within the school.
Previously, Portland schools <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-public-schools-changed-suspension-policy-teachers-strike/283-57387413-23d3-46e9-aea7-c532fd91b37f" rel="noopener">could</a> suspend middle and high school students for at least five days for extreme cases of students causing physical harm or threatening violence. Now, through the union agreement, the district has expanded its rapid response teams, which are supposed to intervene early in these situations.
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The agreement replaces the term “unacceptable” student behavior with “continuous disruptive” behavior and refers to “support plans” rather than “behavior correction plans.”
Student discipline has been a growing concern in Portland’s public schools.
Portland teachers have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-public-schools-changed-suspension-policy-teachers-strike/283-57387413-23d3-46e9-aea7-c532fd91b37f" rel="noopener">said</a> they are seeing “more students in crisis” with mental health issues, which can lead to fights.
In response, the Portland school district has been working to beef up its “restorative justice” practices over the last two years. However, after the pandemic, the district saw a spike in requests for the district’s restorative justice services, highlighting the discipline issue.

Rear view of teenage girls and boys learning in classroom

Parent Group Files Federal Complaint Against Portland Schools For Disciplining Based On Gender Identity, Race

Oregon

Parents rights

Portland

Public Schools

teachers union

U.S.

Organized labor in America seems to be at a crossroads. On the one hand, the union membership rate in 2022 dropped to 10.1%, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the lowest level</a> on record. At the same time, Americans’ approval of unions in general has been <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-gen-zs-support-for-unions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on the rise</a> since 2012. And if the current data is any indication, the latest generation to enter the workforce is poised to give unions a surge the likes of which they haven’t seen in decades. While they’re at it, they might also fundamentally change the meaning and purpose of the labor movement in this country.
Gen Z shows strong pro-union tendencies. According to the 2020 American National Election Studies survey, Gen Z gave unions a <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-gen-zs-support-for-unions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">64.3% approval rating</a>, surpassing Millennials at 60.5%, Gen X at 57.8%, and Baby Boomers at 57.2%. They’ve demonstrated their commitment as active organizers, unionizing <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/labor-unionization/2023/04/26/were-not-slowing-down-student-workers-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">student workers</a> on college campuses and baristas at <a href="https://time.com/6148475/starbucks-union-organizers-gen-z/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Starbucks locations</a> across the country. The Left-leaning Center for American Progress reports that not only is Gen Z the most pro-union generation currently alive, they are more pro-union than other generations were at the same age. 
 
Gen Z’s strong support for unions is a broader part of their <a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/gen-z-has-a-passion-for-political-activism-schools-can-nurture-it/2023/01" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demonstrated predisposition</a> for political activism. John Della Volpe of the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, the author of “Fight: How Gen Z Is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America,” has observed that this generation has chosen “to lean in and fight and try to change the system,” on issues from climate change to gun control to foreign policy. 
 
As American labor unions struggle to decide whether their primary function is to negotiate on behalf of workers or to act as foot soldiers and financial backers for a kaleidoscope of progressive political causes, it’s not difficult to see which side Gen Z will come down on. If the <a href="https://www.inc.com/principal/5-ways-gen-z-may-impact-your-workplace-and-why-thats-a-good-thing.html#:~:text=Diversity%2C%20equity%2C%20and%20inclusion%20(,on%20them%20than%20older%20generations.&amp;text=2-,In%20fact%2C%2074%20percent%20of%20Gen%20Z%20employees%20say%20it's,a%20company%20that%20prioritizes%20DEI." target="_blank" rel="noopener">74% of Gen Z members</a> who consider Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies to be a top priority are any indication, we can expect them to use the power of organized labor to implement DEI policies in more workplaces, following the lead of <a href="https://www.aft.org/resolution/dei-and-racial-justice-investments">the American Federation of Teachers</a> (AFT), the second-largest teachers union in the United States.
Indeed, teachers’ union activism has become the norm nationwide. The National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest teachers union, <a href="https://www.nea.org/resource-library/nea-lgbtq-resources#:~:text=The%20NEA%20is%20committed%20to,welcoming%20schools%20for%20all%20students.">promotes and provides</a> teaching resources on pro-LGBTQ+ topics on its website. The Oakland Education Association took an anti-Israel stance by endorsing a <a href="https://www.ktvu.com/news/oakland-union-endorses-pro-palestine-teach-in-says-they-wont-be-intimidated" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘teach-in’ in support of Gaza.</a> 
If the <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/poll-most-young-americans-back-ending-israel-many-find-jewish-genocide-calls-okay/">60% of young Americans</a> who consider Hamas’ October 7, 2023 massacre of Israeli citizens to be “justified” end up joining their workplace unions, they will likely be only too happy to support more such actions.
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It’s fair to ask what any of this has to do with unions’ supposed goal of bargaining for better wages and conditions for workers. The data is regrettably clear: with this trend towards increased activism, representation for actual union members has suffered. Some of the nation&#8217;s largest labor unions routinely spend as much or more on political activities than they do on representing their existing members. For example, in 2022 the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), representing over 1.8 million workers, <a href="https://americansforfairtreatment.org/resources-and-data/seiu-where-do-your-dues-go/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent $63.5 million</a> on political activities and lobbying, which is more than double what it spent representing its membership. The American Federation of Teachers <a href="https://americansforfairtreatment.org/resources-and-data/aft-where-do-your-union-dues-go/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent $46.9 million</a> supporting Left-wing politics in 2023, while the National Education Association <a href="https://americansforfairtreatment.org/resources-and-data/nea-where-do-your-union-dues-go/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent less</a> on member representation than it did on political causes. 
 
Organized labor is already diverting too much time and money away from the well-being of workers and toward unrelated political agendas. As more members of Gen Z join unions and gain leadership positions, we can only expect this trend to increase.
As a member of Gen Z, it is disheartening to watch my generation embrace the entanglement of labor unions and partisan politics. Rather than prioritizing the genuine needs of their members, unions carry out the agendas of their Democratic allies, advocating for policies that prioritize a political agenda over addressing the practical concerns of workers. When they push for unreasonable demands such as a four-day work week (<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/companies-around-the-world-adopt-four-day-work-week-pilot-programs-to-meet-growing-demand-from-gen-z-and-millennial-employees/#:~:text=About%2083%25%20of%20Gen%2DZ,their%20employer%20offers%20the%20option." target="_blank" rel="noopener">supported by 83% of Gen Z and Millennial workers),</a> it undermines good faith collective bargaining. The regular union members, who deserve representation that is focused on responding to their needs, will be the ones to suffer.
The American labor movement has lost its way, and unfortunately, Gen Z doesn’t look poised to help find it any time soon.
However, despite the prevalence of Gen Z’s mindset, there is hope to be found in the workers all over the country pushing back against that mentality. Several hundred of these employees are members of the organization I work for – Americans for Fair Treatment. Our <a href="https://americansforfairtreatment.org/category/member-spotlight/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">members</a> are teachers, law enforcement, and public servants from across the country who stand against pressure from their unions and their co-workers for the individual rights of all employees.
* * *
Andrew Breschard is the Community Manager at <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/americansforfairtreatment.org/__;!!F0Stn7g!H6OhYq765ApSVaoPx_zalKEQD0GT0i39OEI3GACqk7AFmbpUqS676sRi4YtHyVzV9h1Z918R258MqLlpGe8NMSzT$" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Americans for Fair Treatment</a>, a national nonprofit that educates public employees about their rights in a unionized workplace.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Businesswoman checking app on smart phone while working on web design in studio

Is The American Labor Movement Ready For Gen Z?

AFL-CIO

Gen Z

Labor Unions

Work environment

Parents near <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/boston" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston</a> are becoming increasingly frustrated with the local teachers union, which has been on strike for nearly two weeks, keeping kids out of classrooms.
Public school teachers in Newton, just west of Boston, have been on an illegal strike for 1o days as of Thursday. The union, the Newton Teachers Association, is under the National Education Association.
Massachusetts law prohibits public school teachers to strike, and the union has already racked up at least $525,000 in fines.
At least two families with children in Newton schools have filed two lawsuits over the strike.
One couple who sued said their daughter has a learning disability and is suffering emotional distress from being out of the classroom.
The other lawsuit was filed by a mother who says her 10th-grader is facing some setbacks this year and that missing regular assistance in reading, writing, and math could jeopardize her chances of college acceptance. The mom also said her children have missed part of the hockey season and activities with the ski team club.
A dad of two middle and high school students <a href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/01/31/newton-teachers-strike-community-hopes-for-resolution" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> WBUR, &#8220;we feel like our children are suffering significant harm as a result of an illegal strike and the law is in place for a reason.&#8221; He added that he and his wife cannot stay home from work.
However, some parents have expressed support for the teachers, one mom saying she stands with the educators &#8220;ten-thousand percent.&#8221;
The teachers union is demanding more pay, smaller classes, more social workers in schools, and a 12-week parental leave policy.
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On Tuesday, the school district was <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2024/02/01/newton-schools-teacher-strike-update" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offering</a> pay increase from $62,000 salaries to more than $81,000 by 2027 for some teachers. The average teacher pay in Newton is roughly $93,000, based on <a href="https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/statereport/teachersalaries.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the 2020 school year.
Earlier in the week, the Newton City Council called on the teachers to accept a new salary contract and end the strike.
&#8220;This strike has to end. We need to get our kids back in the classroom, and we need to do it now,&#8221; City Council President Marc Laredo <a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/as-newton-schools-remain-closed-parents-express-support-opposition-to-teachers/3263929/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Tuesday at a press conference, adding that children &#8220;are suffering.&#8221;
&#8220;It makes me question whether the union really wants a deal,&#8221; Newton School Committee Chair Christopher Brezski said at a separate press conference. &#8220;It makes me question what this strike is really about. Is it about Newton&#8217;s kids and teachers? Is it about money? Or is it about some other bigger agenda, one where our kids are being used as pawns?&#8221;
The Newton school district enrolls 12,000 students in more than 20 schools.

Newton Teachers On Strike

Parent Frustration Mounting Over Boston Area Teachers’ Nearly Two-Week Illegal Strike

Parent Frustration Mounting Over Boston Area Teachers' Nearly Two-Week Illegal Strike

Boston

Massachusetts

National Education Association

Some teachers are reportedly pressuring the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/teachers-unions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Education Association</a> — the largest labor union in the United States — to withdraw its endorsement of President Joe Biden if he continues to send aid to Israel and fails to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The Nation <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/society/nea-union-biden-endorsement-gaza/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Monday that there was a &#8220;small-but-growing campaign&#8221; to put pressure on the White House, led by teachers who have begun to circulate a <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6IF5q_CYsich-hJMWb0BqKO7T66JRW8zYzYBy8vy-emSNAg/viewform" target="_blank" rel="noopener">petition</a> among NEA chapters across the country.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Members of the NEA teachers union want to revoke their endorsement of Joe Biden in the 2024 election until he secures a “permanent cease-fire” and stops “sending military funding, equipment, and intelligence to Israel.”
NEA members won’t be happy until America abandons Israel in… <a href="https://t.co/8hfxPpvxlH">pic.twitter.com/8hfxPpvxlH</a>
&mdash; Nicki Neily (@nickineily) <a href="https://twitter.com/nickineily/status/1749802649229353438?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The list of demands, according to the petition, includes:
<ul>
<li>A permanent ceasefire!</li>
<li>Stop sending military funding, equipment, and intelligence to Israel.</li>
<li>Use diplomatic pressure to end Israel&#8217;s blockade/siege of Gaza and settlement activity in the West Bank, to stop Israel&#8217;s killing of journalists, and to secure the release of all political prisoners and hostages.</li>
<li>Commit to demanding that Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights, including ending the occupation and dismantling of the illegal apartheid wall, equal rights for all Palestinians, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees, as called for by Palestinian civil society.</li>
</ul>
According to The Nation&#8217;s report, teachers like Illinois social studies teacher Rahaf Othman, who told the outlet that her &#8220;nightmares&#8221; began when Israel began to execute military strikes against Hamas in Gaza in October. She made no mention of the brutal and unprovoked attack that Hamas perpetrated against Israel on October 7.
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&#8220;I was functional at work, but barely functional. My brain was mush. I was getting traumatized every time I turned on my phone,&#8221; she complained. &#8220;For the first month, people were asking me what we should do, but I couldn’t think, couldn’t focus. Educators rallied together and created this group, Educators for Palestine. I am grateful they brought me along for the ride.&#8221;
Aaron Phillips, a Texas fifth-grade teacher weighed in as well, saying, &#8220;There’s a growing group of board members that support [the move to withdraw a Biden Endorsement]. If I were to make a motion, I’m confident I would have a second and would have a growing group of board members stand with me.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-BIDEN-ARRIVAL

Teachers Push Union To Yank Biden Endorsement Unless He Bends The Knee To Hamas: Report

Gaza

Hamas

Israel

A Maryland high school principal approved a request for a anti-Israel walkout on the anniversary of Kristallnacht and told students he was “proud” of them when they said they were following a call by the Palestinian Youth Movement, records show.
Principal Edward Owusu of Clarksburg High School in Montgomery County granted excused absences to students who skipped class, provided equipment to “support the protest,” and overrode a Jewish teacher who correctly marked students absent, according to emails obtained by The Daily Wire under public records laws.
On November 7 at 5:54 p.m., a student leader of the Muslim Student Association (MSA) wrote to Owusu that “the national Palestinian Youth Movement has organized ‘Shut it Down for Palestine’ on Thursday, November 9th. This event calls for all students to walk out of school, employees to walk out from work, and to protest the Israeli and US government. Clarksburg&#8217;s MSA is in unequivocal support for a ceasefire and would like to walk out this Thursday.”
Owusu quickly replied, “I am proud that the Muslim Student Association has made a collective decision of support. Please make plans to see Mr. Haynes regarding plans for the Walk Out.”
November 9 is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night of anti-Jew terrorism that helped kick off the Holocaust with the assistance of the Hitler Youth. That’s not likely a coincidence, given that the Palestinian Youth Movement is a radical group that supports terrorism.
In February, the Palestinian Youth Movement held a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CoC6s-wu6ca/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glory To Our Martyrs In Jenin rally</a> in Washington, D.C., after terrorists in the region opened fire on Israeli forces and were subsequently killed. In November, it called to “Free the Holy Land Foundation 5,” referring to five people who were sentenced to decades in prison by a U.S. judge after being convicted of crimes including <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-judge-hands-downs-sentences-holy-land-foundation-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supporting a terrorist organization</a>.
&#8220;We will continue resisting until the land is rightfully ours once more, and until our people secure their right of return,&#8221; it said in rejecting a peace deal that would create a Palestinian state that was not &#8220;from the river to the sea,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.investigativeproject.org/9308/us-palestinian-youth-movement-rallies-to-glorify" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Investigative Project on Terrorism</a> reported.
Following the request, Clarksburg Assistant Principal David Douglass wrote that he was “happy to inform you that your proposal to hold a protest is approved for tomorrow,” and said the school would not just permit the protest, but provide a “microphone and a speaker system to support the protest.”
The students sent Douglass their signs and speeches for approval, including ones saying “By any means necessary” and “Resistance until liberation.” They also submitted a speech by the student government president that said that the Jews coming to Israel in 1948 was a “catastrophe” and that, “We will NEVER forget how the united states actively supported the propaganda, weapons, and murder… We will not sit silently and back down while they take even an INCH of our land. We will never give up until Palestine is free, from the river, to the sea.”
The emails produced by MCPS do not include any response from Douglass rejecting the signs or speech, though Owusu later wrote to staff that, “The administration have communicated to the student leaders of the walkout that hate speech or slogans will not be tolerated. This includes any language associated with the elimination of any race of people. Slogans such as &#8216;From the River to the Sea&#8217; is often chanted at rallys [sic] and it is highly offensive. It references a goal of Hamas to kill all Jews and control the land from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean Sea.&#8221;
The emails show outrage from Jewish parents, with one writing to the school board that “the Clarksburg Muslim Student association in your school is not as peaceful as you claim. They put a post on instagram with a map that erased Israel from existence” and a graphic that said “may Allah liberate the Palestinians and ease their struggle.’”
The email was titled “Clarksburg High School &#8211; Pro Hamas Protest today,” but Sami Saeed — a student who serves as the “student member” of the adult school board — forwarded it to Owosu supportively, saying “Thank you for your support of free speech Mr. Owusu!”
Montgomery County was once a far-left and wealthy county with a sizable Jewish population, but in recent years mass immigration has led to balkanization, and new residents have marked the county’s Jews as oppressors.
One parent wrote to Owosu, “If this type of event was held against Black, LGBTQ, or other groups it would 100% NOT be tolerated. Why is it tolerated against the Jews?”
On November 8, Owosu wrote to parents that, “Led by the Clarksburg Muslim Student Association, students will be demonstrating to voice their concerns about the conflict in the Middle East, in support of Palestine. Participation in this demonstration is optional (not mandatory) and has been approved by school leadership. Absences due to participation in the walk-out will be excused.”
According to the MCPS student handbook, &#8220;[a]ny walk-out or departure from campus during the instructional day will be treated as an unexcused absence, given the disruptive impact on school operations.&#8221;
Some parents wrote to Owosu that granting excused absences, a free pass to skip school, meant that the school didn’t just begrudgingly permit the protest, but actively encouraged it — a suspicious borne out by the “proud” comment.
Owusu assured Jewish parents that he was consulting with the school&#8217;s Jewish Culture Club sponsor for how to deal with the event, but in reality, he overrode her. The teacher, Iris Schwarz, wrote to Owusu, “I am curious why this is an excused absence since it is during the school day. It was my understanding that students can exercise their civic responsibility, to participate in a rally or protest, but it was an unexcused absence if they were not in class. How am I to verify that a student was there or not? What process is in place for that?”
“Since the students stayed on campus it is excused. We did not track attendance,&#8221; Owusu replied.
Schwarz replied, “I marked the kids absent because they were not in my class. I have no way of marking excused absence,” and Owusu ordered the attendance secretary to change every “absent” student’s record to present.
Owusu retired on January 1 for what he said were personal reasons unrelated to the walkout. MCPS did not return a request for comment.
Schwartz might have found support among the teachers union, except that it is filled with anti-Israel activists. Angela Wolf, a board member of the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), was placed on leave from the district — but not the union — after creating a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/teachers-union-official-compiled-list-of-nearby-wealthy-jews-calling-them-gluttons-and-thieves">list of wealthy Jews</a> in her county, claiming they horde wealth while contributing nothing to society.
Christina McCann, the “non-binary” “they/them” former teacher and child of a longtime MCEA board member, is a chief proponent of the radical anti-Israel activism flowing in teachers union circles. McCann promotes <a href="https://www.queerartistsforpalestine.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Queer Artists for Palestine,”</a> writing “Queer Palestinians have called on us to call out Israel.”
On Facebook, her father Patrick — who once got among the <a href="https://www.mceanea.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/02/NEA-Delegate-Election-Results-2015.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most votes</a> from other union members to represent the union chapter at a national level — “liked” a list of <a href="https://www.mcps4palestine.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“demands”</a> to MCPS, including that four teachers suspended for anti-Semitic comments be returned to work, “the end of all U.S. aid to Israel” and “We demand MCPS end collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other anti-Palestinian organizations.”
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Palestinian Youth Movement / Instagram

Principal Was ‘Proud’ Of Students For Protesting Against Israel On Kristallnacht, Emails Show

Maryland

Terrorism

The old arguments won’t work this time for United Teachers of Dade (UTD).
For a change, it isn’t the amen chorus in the mainstream media or the politicians bought and paid for with decades of union money UTD’s leaders have to convince. It’s the educators whose legitimate workplace concerns have consistently been ignored while the union used millions of their hard-earned dues dollars to line their own pockets and fund a diverse collection of failed liberal candidates and causes at the local and national level.
Even before conceding in mid-December what an independent audit had already confirmed − that less than 60% of those being represented by UTD thought enough of its services to actually pay for them − union president Karla Hernandez-Mats was in full cliché mode.
“Our collective strength will be the defense against these attacks,” she thundered. “And through our solidarity, we shall emerge victorious. The careers of our dedicated education workforce and the future of public education depend on our resilience and our unity.”
The perceived attack, of course, takes the form of a new law, Senate Bill 256, passed by the Florida legislature last summer that, among its other provisions, requires public employee unions to petition the state for a recertification election when their paid membership drops below 60% of the bargaining unit they claim to represent.
The Freedom Foundation has joined forces with a group of local teachers to create the <a href="https://www.educatemiami.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miami-Dade Education Coalition</a>, an alternative to the national teachers’ union that exists exclusively to serve teachers, and not politics. For months the group has been driving down UTD’s membership by offering an alternative option.
While simultaneously, after a solid year of arm-twisting, the UTD has been purging the union’s membership rolls of inactive members and even bribing potential recruits with <a href="https://www.freedomfoundation.com/florida/miami-dade-teachers-union-increasingly-desperate-offering-gift-cards-to-boost-membership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon gift cards</a>, she claimed to have bumped the number up to 58.4%. 
But when UTD filed its annual registration with the state last month, it revealed UTD’s membership rate to be only 56%, indicating either that she was exaggerating UTD’s support or that the exodus has already begun in anticipation of the likely recertification election next year.
The only commodity less credible than the union’s numbers is its lamentations about having to justify its existence at all. Since its creation in 1974, UTD has been re-certified exactly never. Like a pope or Supreme Court justice, union officials believe they were appointed for life regardless of their standing with the rank and file.
They’re in for a revelation.
Predictably, Hernandez-Mats and other apologists for Big Labor characterize the current struggle as an invasion by out-of-state aggressors. But in reality, it is a civil war between the union and its own members, justifiably dissatisfied with the union’s misplaced priorities.
And with good reason. Last year alone, UTD − which is affiliated with both of the nation’s two large teachers’ unions, the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers, and the AFL-CIO − spent 46% of its gross dues revenue on affiliation fees.
Based on annual dues of $984.60 per full-time teacher, UTD diverts almost half − an estimated $453 per year − to organizations that have no direct connection with their unique concerns.
Of the remaining balance, once you account for what UTD itself spends on local politics, the six or eight union officers earning in excess of $200,000 a year, lavish office space and overhead, plus first-class travel and other incidentals, the union is left with only a pittance to spend on its own members.
And it isn’t just guilt by association. Hernandez-Mats herself was Democrat Charlie Christ’s running mate in his failed 2020 run for governor against DeSantis, effectively eroding her claims to prioritize union business over partisan politics.
Indignant media projections about the looming certification election assume that even if UTD’s paid membership stands at 56%, it still has a comfortable margin because it only takes a simple majority to be reinstated. But that’s an apples-and-oranges comparison.
December’s audit tabulated the soft support of thousands of teachers who believed there was nothing they could do to prevent their paychecks from being preemptively lightened by nearly $1,000 a year. The certification election, however, will gauge how many actually want that relationship to continue and how many would rather see UTD disqualified and replaced with a newer, cheaper, less-political, more-accountable alternative.
The election won’t be about outside forces, faceless corporate interests or the usual labor boogeymen. It will be a referendum on UTD’s 50-year record of corruption, incompetence and indifference. 
 
If that’s what you had to stake your future on, you’d be desperate, too.
* * *
Aaron Withe is CEO of the <a href="https://www.freedomfoundation.com/">Freedom Foundation</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Wire.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated the Freedom Foundation joined forces with a group of local teachers to create the United Teachers of Dade. They helped create the Miami-Dade Education Coalition, not the United Teachers of Dade. The article has been updated to reflect the change.

Florida Gov. DeSantis Signs Digital Bill of Rights

How A New Florida Law Is Shaking Up The State’s Largest Teachers’ Union

Florida

Leftists

Opinion

Unions

The four largest <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/unions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">public sector unions</a> spent nearly $700 million backing Democrats and leftist causes during last year&#8217;s elections, with nearly 60% of the funds coming from union dues, according to an analysis of spending by the Commonwealth Foundation.
Of the $708.8 million spent on politics during the 2022 midterm elections by the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), about 96% of the money went to Democrat political action committees or other leftist causes, the Commonwealth Foundation <a href="https://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/research/government-unions-fund-politics/">found</a>.
The four unions combined outspent the defense, transportation, and construction industries. “Any progressive organization that you can think of is probably getting something from the unions,” Commonwealth Foundation Senior Fellow for Labor Policy David Osborne told The Daily Wire.
Millions of union PAC dollars went toward leftist groups like For Our Future and dark money group the Sixteen Thirty Fund, as well as Democrat candidates like Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock and Pennsylvania Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro.
While it’s no surprise that unions overwhelmingly back Democrats and Democrat causes, Osborne that many union members likely didn’t know how much their dues were being spent on the “pet political projects” of union leaders rather than representation for members.
“What unions often try to hide is the fact that membership dues can also be used for politics,” he said. “The union doesn’t really have to tell membership what it’s [the money] going to go to. Doesn’t have to take a vote on it. By and large, what they do is, take all that money and then shovel a bunch of it over to a super-PAC, sometimes it’s affiliated with the union so that they can do all kinds of political spending that members may never find out about.”
According to the report, about 57% of the total money spent on politics by the unions came from union dues, while the rest came from state and federal PACs, which union members are encouraged to support.
“When employees learn that their dues are being used to fund political projects, that’s a value in and of itself. There are some things they can do as individuals to cut off the funding if they desire,” Osborne said.
The biggest beneficiary of union dollars was Shapiro, who raked in about $4,540,000 million from the PACs during his campaign for office, the Commonwealth Foundation found. Osborne told The Daily Wire that this number was “absolutely shocking,” pointing out that this amount was three times more than any other individual.
Shapiro <a href="https://www.law.com/thelegalintelligencer/2023/08/28/major-unions-ratify-contract-proposals-with-shapiro-administration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would</a> later negotiate with members of both the local SEIU and AFSCME, which included an increase in pay and benefits for union members.
Other top recipients of union money at the state level included California Attorney General Rob Bonta ($1,297,200), Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson ($1,179,100), and failed Texas gubernatorial and 2020 presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke ($990,000).
<div id="attachment_666625" style="width: 1005px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-666625" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-666625 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.22.41-PM-995x576.png" alt="" width="995" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.22.41-PM-995x576.png 995w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.22.41-PM-300x174.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.22.41-PM-768x445.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.22.41-PM-1536x890.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.22.41-PM.png 2022w" sizes="(max-width: 995px) 100vw, 995px" />Courtesy: The Commonwealth Foundation.</div>
At the federal level, union PACs gave significantly to Warnock ($60,500), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries ($50,000), and failed Senate candidates Mandela Barnes ($45,000) and Tim Ryan ($42,000).
“In total, PACs tied to the four largest government unions contributed to 282 candidates for the House of Representatives. Of those, 273 were Democrats, seven were Republicans, one was a third-party candidate, and one was an independent,” the report says.
The report made note of the close ties between the unions and President Joe Biden, who has billed himself as the most &#8220;pro-union&#8221; president ever. &#8220;During the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden&#8217;s Centers for Disease Control directly adopted language suggestions from the AFT into the organization&#8217;s school reopening guidelines,&#8221; the report notes.
Text messages <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texts-show-teachers-union-working-with-cdc-director-to-keep-schools-closed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed earlier this year</a> showed AFT President Randi Weingarten and NEA President Becky Pringle texting with former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky about school reopening policies.
<div id="attachment_666631" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-666631" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-666631 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.19.53-PM-1024x544.png" alt="" width="1024" height="544" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.19.53-PM-1024x544.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.19.53-PM-300x159.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.19.53-PM-768x408.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.19.53-PM-1536x815.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-11-at-4.19.53-PM-2048x1087.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Courtesy: The Commonwealth Foundation.</div>
A variety of Democrat-leaning PACs and leftist organizations also pulled in a significant amount of money from union spending. For example, the unions gave a whopping $29,138,171 to the SEIU Political Education and Action Fund, a PAC that primarily backs Democrats for federal office and $13 million to the State Engagement Fund, a Left-wing dark money group. The Senate Majority PAC and the House Majority PAC, which support Democratic majorities in Congress, both received millions of dollars from the union PACs.
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The report found that the union political spending favored Democrats in every state but Alabama, Mississippi, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. The states with the most union political spending were Illinois ($27.9 million), California ($24.9), Minnesota ($13.2 million), Pennsylvania ($12.1 million), and Washington ($7.5 million).
“Armed with millions of members and numerous special privileges, the four largest unions have dedicated significant financial resources toward maintaining and expanding the legal structures from which they derive their power,” the report says, pointing out that union-backed candidates performed well during the midterms, and states like California continue to expand union privileges.
“Government unions use this power not only to advance leftist causes but also to elect political leaders who will protect their interests and influence. The result, unfortunately, is that federal, state, and local governments are increasingly led by politicians who care more about union executives than union members or taxpayers,” Osborne said.

Gubernatorial Candidate Josh Shapiro Campaigns With John Fetterman In Philadelphia

Gov Unions Spent Over Half A Billion Dollars Backing Democrats, The Left During Midterm Elections: Report

2022 Midterms

General

Joe Biden

Josh Shapiro

Politics

Raphael Warnock

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

spending

The Massachusetts Teachers Association board of directors voted in favor of a statement on Saturday that accuses the United States of being complicit in genocide.
The board of directors for the union, which represents 117,000 teachers, faculty, and other professional staff members at Massachusetts public schools and universities, agreed on Saturday to a statement that not only calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, but also says the United States is complicit in the &#8220;genocidal assault.&#8221;
“As an educators’ union, we must take a stand with our union siblings, and promote peace and justice in the region by calling for an end to our government’s complicity with Israel’s genocidal assault on the people of Gaza and intent to take over their territory,” the statement reads. “How many deaths, how many more children must die, before we take a stand? Silence is complicity,” it adds.
<div id="attachment_666469" style="width: 630px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-666469" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-666469" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-10.50.36%E2%80%AFAM-240x300.png" alt="" width="620" height="776" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-10.50.36%E2%80%AFAM-240x300.png 240w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-10.50.36%E2%80%AFAM-460x576.png 460w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-10.50.36%E2%80%AFAM-768x961.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-10.50.36%E2%80%AFAM.png 1140w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px" />The Massachusetts Teachers Association board of directors voted on a statement accusing the U.S. government of being complicit of genocide in Gaza.</div>
The Anti-Defamation League of New England said that the community should demand better from a group of people &#8220;charged with educating our young people.&#8221;
:The Massachusetts Teachers Association’s statement camouflages within its call for a ceasefire an ill-founded attack on Israel – a perverse position, given that Israeli civilians were the victims of the heinous Hamas-led terrorist attack on October 7,&#8221; said the ADL chapter&#8217;s director, Dr. Jonah C. Steinberg. “At a minimum, the statement’s failure to explicitly and unconditionally condemn the Hamas attack call for the return of all remaining hostages or demand that any ceasefire include a commitment to remove Hamas — whose officials have reportedly vowed to repeat terrorist attacks like the one on October 7th until Israel is destroyed — as a controlling actor in Gaza is revealing.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/video-inside-the-day-long-terrorist-siege-on-israels-sderot-police-station">VIDEO: Inside The Day-Long Terrorist Siege On Israel’s Sderot Police Station</a>
“Ostensibly representing those charged with educating our young people, this statement does nothing to further understanding or meaningful discourse on this complex issue,” Steinberg said. “The Massachusetts Teachers Association has a responsibility, as representative of educators in our Commonwealth, to do its homework. In this instance, it has not.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rabbi-resigns-from-harvards-anti-semitism-advisory-committee-ignoring-jewish-suffering-is-evil">Rabbi Resigns From Harvard’s Anti-Semitism Advisory Committee: ‘Ignoring Jewish Suffering Is Evil’</a>
Steinberg also said the ADL has heard concerns from union members who reject the framing of the resolution and its blame that Israel is “solely responsible for the ensuing humanitarian crisis.”
The union statement also cited death toll numbers from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hamas-run-gaza-health-ministry-cited-by-legacy-media-has-history-of-lying-about-civilian-casualties" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has a history</a> of lying about causality numbers.
“Over 16,248 Palestinians, largely civilians, including over 7,112 children (as of 12/5/23) have been brutally killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023; an estimated 1.8 million people have been internally displaced, and 40,000 (as of 12/2/23) people have wounded in the U.S.-backed assault by the Israeli military on schools, hospitals, and humanitarian organizations,” the statement says.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-inside-the-israeli-kibbutz-where-dozens-were-murdered-by-hamas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Inside The Israeli Kibbutz Where Dozens Were Murdered By Hamas</a>
Joe Herosy, a retired music teacher from Quincy, Massachusetts, submitted the statement which was seconded by Deborah Gesualdo, a current music teacher who is also the president of the Malden Educators Association. 
In November, Gesualdo retweeted a post on X that claimed the “extremist, Zionist regime is wholesale slaughtering innocent civilians.”
<div id="attachment_666477" style="width: 630px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-666477" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-666477" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-12.05.44%E2%80%AFPM-300x126.png" alt="Deborah Gesualdo on retweet on X" width="620" height="260" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-12.05.44%E2%80%AFPM-300x126.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-12.05.44%E2%80%AFPM-1024x429.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-12.05.44%E2%80%AFPM-768x322.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/Screenshot-2023-12-12-at-12.05.44%E2%80%AFPM.png 1194w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px" />Deborah Gesualdo retweeted a post accusing Israel of &#8220;slaughtering innocent civilians.&#8221;</div>
The MTA and Gesualdo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Massachusetts Teachers Union Says U.S. Is Complicit In ‘Genocidal Assault’ In Gaza

A Maryland teacher is on leave while the school system investigates her for a string of anti-Semitic social media posts that included creating a list of wealthy Jews in her county, claiming they horde wealth while contributing nothing to society, and calling for “class war.”
Angela Wolf is <a href="https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/takomaparkms/staff/directory/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">head of the English Language Development department</a>, which caters to immigrant children, at Takoma Park Middle School, in the most leftist enclave of liberal Montgomery County. Though she was temporarily removed from school, she remains a <a href="https://www.mceanea.org/who-we-are/board-of-directors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">board member of the Montgomery County Education Association</a>, one of the largest teachers union locals in the country representing 14,000 staff. 
Her Facebook posts included a drawing of an Israeli tank pointing a tank’s gun at babies in a hospital NICU, and saying “enemy in sight!” As the war wages against the Hamas terrorists who murdered over 1,200 Israelis on October 7, she has posted frequently against Israel. On November 16, she commended &#8220;bus operators at Dulles who refused to transport Zionists to the pro Israel rally,&#8221; adding that &#8220;their solidarity with the victims of Israeli genocide should be commended.”
On October 28, she shared a post saying, “It is not a war — it is a slaughter. Israel determined to make Gaza uninhabitable.”
In December 2020, well before the conflict in Israel, she wrote:
<div class="image"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-661593" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/2.png" alt="" width="843" height="567" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/2.png 843w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/2-300x202.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/12/2-768x517.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 843px) 100vw, 843px" /></div>
Four of the five of the billionaires she named are Jewish except Saul, who happens to have a common Jewish name.
In response to criticism, she claimed — referring the the group of people with names like Rubenstein — that she had “no idea these billionaires are Jewish or that my word choice had an [sic] historic significance for the Jewish community. The diatribe against these two words has turned the discussion into a fallacious attack … People are angry at teachers or a particular politician or the poor. I have read no attacks on the 1% … who have NOT ‘earned’ ‘their wealth.&#8217;”
She said “they use their accumulated wealth to further their own interests” and blamed their hoarding for students falling behind while teachers unions refused to work because of COVID. “There should be little question that staying home should NOT equal mental health crises for kids and communities angry because school staff also need to be home,” she wrote.
When someone else criticized her for her anti-Semitic posts, she responded by calling former President Donald Trump a “scumbag” and said, “Fear is leading to censorship. I hope this person gets anti-imperialism and joins us in the struggle … No war but class war!”
On November 30, Takoma Park Middle School Principal Erin Martin wrote a letter to parents “to address a series of antisemitic online posts that appear to have been made by a staff member at our school.&#8221;
&#8220;I was extremely saddened and disappointed by the contents of these posts and strongly condemn the views expressed as they do not align with our school’s values of inclusivity, respect and acceptance,” Martin wrote.
We “have begun an investigation into the matter” but “any actions resulting from an investigation will be considered a personnel matter. Due to employee privacy laws, MCPS and Takoma Park Middle School are unable to provide further details on the personnel matter,” she wrote. 
Teachers unions — like the one of which Wolf is a board member —a re largely responsible for such policies making it hard for to discipline a teacher or for the public to have transparency. Unions advocate vociferously for  teachers accused of such wrongdoing to be reinstated.
Neither the union nor Wolf responded to a request for comment.
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Her union is a far-Left organizing group with a heavy focus on race and diversity, equity and inclusion. There are indications that anti-Jewish sentiment is baked into DEI, including in Montgomery County Public Schools. DEI often casts whites as “settlers” and “colonizers” of America, and paints Jews in a similar light.
At nearby Tilden Middle School, Sabrina Khan-Williams, the “team leader/diversity, equity and inclusion teacher,” promoted outlandish conspiracy theories, such as the idea that Jewish people kill Palestinians to sell their organs, and that the well-documented attack in which Hamas paraglided into a rave was actually a hoax that never happened.
On November 9, another Montgomery County school, Clarksburg High School, approved an anti-Israel demonstration on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, and emailed parents to let them know of the opportunity to join the protest. It was “approved by school leadership” and “Absences due to the participation in the walk-out will be excused,” Principal Edward Owusu wrote.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dei-teacher-in-jewish-area-says-jews-kill-palestinians-to-sell-their-organs">‘DEI Teacher’ In Jewish Area Says Jews Kill Palestinians To Sell Their Organs</a>

Montgomery County, Maryland teacher and union official Angela Wolf / LinkedIn / Montgomery County Education Association

Teachers Union Official Compiled List Of Nearby Wealthy Jews, Calling Them ‘Gluttons And Thieves’

Anti-Semitism

One of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-jersey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Jersey’s</a> main teachers unions is calling for the end of the basic skills test for certifying teachers.
The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) is advocating for the demise of the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading, Writing and Math. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s signing of Bill S1553 would eliminate that requirement; NJEA called the test “an unnecessary barrier” hindering the alleviation of teacher shortages.
“When the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) adopted changes to the administrative code around teacher certification, it missed an opportunity to eliminate this requirement, which created an unnecessary barrier to entering the profession,” stated NJEA.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
We need you to take action! Last year, NJ eliminated the edTPA, a barrier to becoming a certified teacher. Now it&#39;s time to eliminate another barrier: the basic skills test for teachers. Urge Gov. Murphy to sign S1553 right away. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WEareNJEA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WEareNJEA</a> <a href="https://t.co/XH694Vq7Eq">https://t.co/XH694Vq7Eq</a>
&mdash; NJEA (@NJEA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NJEA/status/1722286123009949935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Passing <a href="https://www.nj.gov/education/certification/testing/req/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scores</a> for the basic skills test are 156 for reading, 150 for math, and 162 for writing. The maximum possible score is 200.
Certain educators don’t have to take the basic skills test: those who achieve an SAT, ACT, or GRE score in the top third percentile of the year they took it, as well as those who obtain a master’s or terminal degree with a 3.0 minimum GPA.
Nicki Neily, founder and president of Parents Defending Education, insisted that there were better options for overcoming the teacher shortage other than reducing entry standards.
“Teachers should be able to pass a basic skills test before they’re tasked with educating children in those core subjects,” said Neily.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
You can eliminate some of the unnecessary red tape around becoming a teacher without eliminating a basic skills test.
Teachers should be able to pass a basic skills test before they’re tasked with educating children in those core subjects. <a href="https://t.co/pJjTltuoQl">https://t.co/pJjTltuoQl</a>
&mdash; Nicki Neily (@nickineily) <a href="https://twitter.com/nickineily/status/1724503212668109142?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
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NJEA successfully advocated for the end of another teacher certification test last year, the educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA). NJEA <a href="https://www.njea.org/njea-statement-on-ed-tpa-legislation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> the edTPA as a costly, discriminatory, and unnecessary hindrance to overcoming the teacher shortage.
NJEA represents over 200,000 active and retired educators in the state.
Governor Murphy may comply with NJEA’s petition; he spoke at their conference last week, and praised them for their advocacy in other teacher shortage reduction efforts.
Murphy credited the NJEA for codifying over $20 million in funding for recruiting and training educators, stipends for student teachers, local partnerships expanding paraprofessional training, and over $4.1 million in teachers certification fees waived for about 18,000 educators this past year.
“These investments are crucial to solving our state shortage of educators, and none of them would have made their way into this year’s budget without the NJEA’s influence,” said Murphy.
Murphy also indicated that his administration would put Student Growth Objectives (<a href="https://www.nj.gov/education/AchieveNJ/teacher/objectives.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SGOs</a>) “on a diet,” which he concurred were “bureaucracy-like.” The SGOs are long-term academic goals for students set by teachers in collaboration with supervisors. The governor’s remarks elicited applause and cheers from the NJEA conference crowd: “No more SGOs!”
The governor called those critical of modern public educators “extremists” seeking to insert political ideology in schools, citing specifically those against LGBTQ+ ideology in classrooms.
“They want to dim the light of truth and instead shroud our schools in the darkness of fear and intimidation,” said Murphy. “Know that I have your backs unconditionally and always.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Governor Murphy Announces Preschool Expansion Funding at NJEA Convention on November 9, 2023." width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vg1k-EObFhY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
NJEA’s annual convention made headlines for another reason last week: for another year in a row, the union held a drag queen story hour.
All schools close so that educators can attend the convention.
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This week dozens of schools in New Jersey closed as teachers attended the <a href="https://twitter.com/NJEA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NJEA</a> convention. What did teachers do at this conference while thousands of kids stayed home from school?
They were treated to drag shows, drag queen storytime, and “banned books” discussions featuring… <a href="https://t.co/07R6o6UdQe">pic.twitter.com/07R6o6UdQe</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1723499531952947417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Lockers

New Jersey Teachers Union Calls For End Of Basic Skills Test For Teachers

New Jersey

Phil Murphy

When it comes to public education in Oregon, the Oregon Education Association (OEA) makes a <a href="https://oregoned.org/about-oea">bold promise</a>: “to provide the basic right of great public education to every student.” The union’s direct involvement in school closures and watering down basic graduation requirements, however, indicates the opposite. In truth, the OEA has played an essential role in the deterioration of Oregon’s public schools.
<h2>COVID School Shutdowns</h2>
In response to the COVID pandemic, Oregon Governor Kate Brown, whom OEA endorsed, ordered the <a href="https://www.salemreporter.com/2020/03/18/school-closures-in-salem-around-oregon-extended-through-april-governor-orders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statewide closure</a> of schools for over a year. During the <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2020/03/coronavirus-closure-wont-lead-to-online-classes-in-oregon-public-schools-this-is-why.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first six weeks</a> of Brown’s shutdowns, no online alternative was offered to students enrolled in public schools. In response, thousands of Oregon families began the process of transferring their children to Oregon’s online charter school programs. 
That is, until the OEA stepped in. Citing a 2011 law that sets a three percent enrollment cap for students transferring to online education in the state, the <a href="https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2019I1/Downloads/CommitteeMeetingDocument/222653">OEA argued</a> that even a one-half-of-one-percent increase would redirect $55.5 million from district budgets. Siding with the OEA, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) not only <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2020/03/oregons-online-schools-also-subject-to-gov-kate-browns-coronavirus-closure-order-report.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">placed a temporary hold</a> on virtual education enrollment, but <a href="https://www.bendbulletin.com/opinion/guest-column-gov-brown-and-oea-shut-down-online-charter-schools/article_32cad56e-8336-11ea-b53b-ffedbd758d7c.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">included</a> all publicly funded online schools in statewide closures despite zero risk of COVID exposure.
Further, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uh0y7LjzOzMW4lB95LmdRvjBlyxGsNDC/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">email correspondence</a> reveals that the OEA not only developed a set of strict standards for return to in-person instruction for the ODE, but requested that the state “put pressure” on Oregon school districts to adopt similar requirements preventing students from returning to the classroom. 
The effects of OEA-sanctioned school closures continue to weigh down Oregon students. Data from the Nation’s Report Card ranks Oregon <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2022/10/oregon-ranks-no-5-for-pandemic-reading-loss-no-8-for-math-researchers-say.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">among the top 10</a> states in the nation for pandemic learning loss in both reading and math. In addition, students experiencing anxiety and depression in the state <a href="https://www.koin.com/news/health/new-study-shows-covid-19-impact-on-the-mental-health-of-oregons-youth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climbed to 40 percent</a> from 2016 to 2020. 
<h2>Graduation Requirement Suspensions</h2>
Prior to the pandemic, Oregon students were required to demonstrate <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/essentialskills/pages/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">basic proficiency</a> in reading, writing, and math through statewide standardized testing. Naturally, learning loss caused by school closures led to lower test scores. But instead of focusing on helping students get back on track academically, the Oregon Board of Education discarded standardized testing graduation requirements entirely <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/essentialskills/pages/default.aspx">through the 2023-2024 school year</a>.
The OEA played an active role in the passage of <a href="https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB744/Enrolled" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legislation</a> that authorized the suspension of graduation requirements. A member of the OEA’s Special Education Committee boasted that the committee “<a href="https://oregoned.org/professional-excellence/leadership-development/member-spotlight/niels-pasternak" target="_blank" rel="noopener">helped to develop</a>…and helped OEA pass…Senate Bill 744 during the last legislative session” to address “several equity concerns” surrounding Oregon’s graduation requirements. On October 19, the Board of Education voted unanimously to <a href="https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/viewSingleRule.action?ruleVrsnRsn=306489" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extend the OEA-endorsed suspension</a> through the 2027-2028 school year.
While <a href="https://www.koin.com/news/education/oregon-department-of-education-records-2nd-best-graduation-rate-to-date/#:~:text=Across%20all%20Oregon%20schools%20during,school%20year%20was%20just%2080.6%25." target="_blank" rel="noopener">graduation rates</a> in Oregon have unsurprisingly skyrocketed, the value of a high school diploma in the state has plummeted. In the <a href="https://www.koin.com/news/education/ode-oregon-students-test-proficiency-still-lower-than-before-covid-19-pandemic/#:~:text=Last%20school%20year%2C%20about%2043,ELA%20saw%20a%200.6%25%20decrease." target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021-2022 school year</a>, just 43 percent of students were proficient in English, while only 30.6 percent of students were proficient in math. 
<h2>Continued School Closures</h2>
As if a year of school closures wasn’t enough, roughly 45,000 students in Oregon’s largest school district continue to lose out on instructional time due to the Portland Association of Teachers’ (PAT) <a href="https://labornotes.org/2023/11/first-ever-strike-portland-teachers-tackles-student-needs#:~:text=The%20Portland%20Association%20of%20Teachers,cost%2Dof%2Dliving%20adjustments." target="_blank" rel="noopener">inaugural strike</a>. 
In addition to typical demands such as increased salaries and smaller class sizes, the union’s proposal includes <a href="https://assets.nationbuilder.com/pdxteachers/pages/1673/attachments/original/1678819362/PAT_Bargaining_Platform_-_QR_petition_edition.pdf?1678819362" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fringe stipulations</a> that have little to do with education, such as district support for first time house buyers, housing assistance for families, and professional development with a focus on “addressing implicit bias, anti-racism, and culturally responsive practices.” 
The union’s demands come with an enormous price tag and would require the district to come up with an <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2023/11/portland-public-schools-strike-what-you-need-to-know.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">additional $372 million</a> over the next three years. If the OEA affiliate refuses to budge, Portland Public Schools may need to fire up to <a href="https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2023/11/01/46822117/portland-teachers-strike-district-asks-state-for-money-teachers-say-hold-the-line" target="_blank" rel="noopener">300 current teachers</a> to balance the district budget. 
The OEA’s demands are not only financially “irresponsible,” according to Oregon <a href="https://www.kgw.com/article/news/education/gov-kotek-potential-portland-teachers-strike/283-a7b5734b-359a-4b37-9348-5d395e783017" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Governor Tina Kotek</a>, but could keep Portland students out of the classroom for weeks or longer. 
<h2>OEA And The Future Of Oregon Education</h2>
As student success continues to decline in Oregon, it’s clear that the Oregon Education Association has broken its promise to ensure “great public education” for students. In truth, every action that the OEA has taken regarding school closures and graduation requirements has solidified the deterioration of public education on the taxpayer’s dime.
The OEA’s willingness to leave students behind is in stark contrast to its <a href="https://oregoned.org/about-oea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mission statement</a> and begs the question of which promise the OEA will break next. OEA members, parents, and the Board of Education need to take a closer look at the union’s impact on education and act accordingly. The future of Oregon’s students depends on it.
Jason Dudash is the Northwest Director of the <a href="http://www.freedomfoundation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Freedom Foundation.</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Oregon state detailed editable map

As Student Success In Oregon Plummets, Teachers’ Unions Deserve Blame

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