Critics say national teachers union complaint letter to social media companies suggests coordinated effort to shut down parents

In October, National Education Association (NEA) wrote a letter to representatives of Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok demanding that they “regulate lies and fix your algorithms.” In the letter, the teachers union complains about content against critical race theory (CRT) and mask policy “propaganda.”

Critics of the letter have pointed out the similarities in content and timing to the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) apparent coordination with government agencies and large platforms to thwart parental involvement in education.

Coordination appears to have started when the NSBA met at the White House on September 14, two weeks before sending out the much-criticized letter to the Biden Adminstration that likened parents to “domestic terrorists” (sent on Sept 29). Additional evidence suggests Educational Secretary Miguel Cardona was also involved in soliciting this letter. Five days later, on October 4, the Department of Justice released a memo, soliciting U.S. law enforcement to protect public school administrators, officials, and teachers from “violence, threats of violence, and other forms of intimidation and harassment.”

The NEA’s letter, advocating a similar agenda, was sent out four days later to social media giants. In it, president of the NEA, Becky Pringle, proudly hailed the DOJ memo, saying, “We applaud this effort and will support the U.S. government in its mission to protect our educators.” 

The union’s letter also refers to a “violent group of radicalized adults who falsely believe that graduate-level courses about racism are being taught in K-12 public schools because of misinformation spread on social media.” She then cited several incidents across the country of these “radicals” attacking educators, instilling violence, and advancing pernicious agendas.

The description of “graduate-level courses about racism” is a reference to Critical Race Theory (CRT). The letter suggests that CRT is not being implemented in K-12 schools. However, the NEA voted in 2021 to research anti-CRT groups and proliferate CRT agendas in K-12 schools.

The NSBA regretted and apologized for its letter that labeled parents as “domestic terrorists;” critics suggest the NEA apologize too. The union marginalized concerned parents as violent radicals advancing propaganda, silencing them from voicing concern for their children. 

Laura Zorc, executive director of Building Education for Students Together (BEST), agrees that the NEA should apologize, saying, “This year, we are committed to challenging these radical special interest groups and exposing each and every one of them for secretly trying to silence us and hijack our parental rights.”