On Tuesday, EAGnews.org brought you footage of Black Star Project community organizer Phillip Jackson teaching students in Chicago Public Schools' Jones College Prep the finer points of non-violent protesting. He was positioning the students to achieve a particular result he was seeking.
On Wednesday, we brought you a shocking interview with the dean of the school, Grace Moody, who explained that students should be taught how to protest. She reasoned that with all their "teenage angst," students are going to protest something, so they might as well be taught how to protest effectively.
Moody also explained how Jones' "Social Justice Week" was the result of a botched "Gender Bender Day" earlier in the year.
Today, we bring you U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan's opinions on the matter.
See the EXCLUSIVE video interview here.
Speaking at Al Sharpton's recent National Action Network conference in New York City, Duncan was asked about the appropriateness of schools teaching students how to protest, as well as bringing students to political protests.
His thoughts are sadly unsurprising, given his boss' background as a community organizer:
EAGnews.org Producer: I wanted to get your comments on the introduction of non-violent protest training activism in the schools with the children, specifically taking children to protests and advocating for their own change in the educational system.Arne Duncan: Thank you – that’s a great question. I think whether it’s, you know, children in elementary school, middle school, or high school, or college, getting our students engaged in the civic life of our country is hugely important. So getting young people engaged – protest being a part of it – but creating clubs, participating in service, giving back – not just being recipients of service but being the givers of service … The more our young people are actively engaged, I think the more we’re going to have a strong and vibrant democracy. And so, I think, having young people at the earliest ages doing things that are somehow non-traditional, I’m a big supporter of. (emphasis added)
It is disturbing that America's top educator (theoretically) would openly endorse utilizing children for political protests and having schools use valuable time teaching such tactics. It sends a signal to every school in America that it is appropriate and it will not be scrutinized by federal educational leaders.
Our students ought not be treated like pawns by union and school leaders. Our schools ought to be places of learning, not hothouses for growing politically-charged student activists. It must be added that when students protest in support of more money for government schools, it’s the school employee unions that ultimately stand to gain the most financially. More spending leads to more school employees, who are then forced to pay union dues. Is that a coincidence?
Not to mention, programs such as "Social Justice Week" may do something to assuage the white guilt some teachers and administrators may feel, but it does little to actually help students become productive adults who are prepared to compete in the world economy.
EAGnews.org will continue to conduct these types of investigations to show taxpayers what is going on in our government schools, and to raise questions about what school officials are really trying to achieve: education or indoctrination?
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