Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson introduced legislation this week that would prohibit the federal funding for “corrupt” teachers' unions that kept children home from school during the pandemic and pushed woke gender identity and sexual orientation curriculum.
The bill is called the No Federal Funding for Teachers’ Unions Act. In a statement, Jackson said that teachers' unions played a key role in the irreversible learning loss and harmful forced masking policies that impacted children throughout the pandemic.
“Corrupt teachers’ unions sold out our kids when they lined Democrat politicians’ pockets with campaign contributions to keep students out of the classroom, and later to force masking, despite clear evidence that these decisions were harmful to kids’ educational and developmental growth,” Jackson said. “They have even pushed a radical and inappropriate curriculum which seeks to indoctrinate our students with a woke, racist, and anti-American worldview.”
According to a report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, math and reading scores among 9-year-olds fell across all race and income levels in the past two years, though they were significantly worse among low-ranking students. Those in the 90th percentile showed a 3 percent drop in math scores, while students in the 10th percentile fell 12 points, which Leah covered for Townhall. Average 9-year-old scores declined the most on record for math (seven points) and in reading since 1990 (five points).
Townhall has also reported how teachers' unions have pushed curriculums that teach about sexual orientation and gender identity to children as young as kindergarten, and, in some cases, school districts have advised their teachers to conceal students’ gender identity transitions from parents.
In one instance, America’s largest teachers' union was providing educators in Ohio with online resources to direct students to how-to guides promoting “non-binary” gender identities, “queer sex,” and the idea that “transgender men” can become pregnant.
In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) administration released guidance that prohibits this kind of curriculum and requires school districts to keep parents in the loop on conversations about sex and gender.
In addition, several teachers' unions were organizing strikes at the onset of the 2022-2023 school year over things like air conditioning in schools, salaries, and staffing. This occurred despite the fact that the government set aside billions of taxpayer dollars during the pandemic for school districts in part to replace outdated HVAC systems, hire new staff and bring teachers out of retirement, and raise salaries. Reports also broke that less than 40 percent of public schools that received the money used the funds to address issues with air conditioning.
“The very people who were supposed to have our kids’ best interest at heart have repeatedly betrayed them. It’s time we restore parents’ voices, prohibit corrupt teachers’ unions from using your tax dollars to advance their radical agenda, and send them a clear message: LEAVE OUR KIDS ALONE!” Jackson said.
In September, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced legislation that would withhold federal funding from any elementary school or middle school that allowed students to transition genders without informing their parents.
“The law in the United States has long recognized the importance of parental rights. A parent’s right to oversee the care education of their child is guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment,” the bill said. “Parents have a fundamental, constitutionally guaranteed right to raise and educate their children in the way they choose.”
“Public schools across the country are violating these fundamental parental and familial rights by deliberately hiding information about gender transitioning from their parents,” it continued.
“Schools exist to educate children — not indoctrinate them. And a quality education requires input from those who know children best: their parents,” Scott said in a statement about his legislation. “Sadly, radical and secretive gender policies have shut parents out of the conversation and broken their trust. My bill will safeguard parental rights, improve the crucial relationship between parents and schools, and ensure that children can learn in an environment free from activist ideology.”