(Headline USA) A group of Senate Republicans accused the Biden administration this week of filling its “parents’ council” with leftist, pro-Critical Race Theory activists.
The Education Department launched its National Parents and Families Engagement Council earlier this year amidst criticism over its handling of parental discontent and criticism. But according to Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Richard Burr, R-N.C., Mike Lee, R-Utah, Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Tim Scott, R-S.C., the council has become yet another Trojan horse for wokeism.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, it became evident that facilitating the relationship between schools and parents is most successfully chartered at the local level,” the Republicans wrote in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. “Therefore I welcome the stated purpose of this council; however, it is troubling that you seem to have forgotten to include any actual families or local officials on it.”
Instead, the department has filled the council with leftist organizations “that have limited, if any engagement on the local level,” the letter continued.
“Most, if not all, of these organizations are liberal advocacy groups that seek to nationalize our education systems into a one-size-fits-all system while eliminating parental choice and leaving the individual needs of our students behind,” the lawmakers added.
For example, one of the policy groups on the council is National Action Network, which is led by Democrat activist and professional race hustler Al Sharpton.
Another group, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, has pushed for stricter gun control laws and sued the state of Virginia last year to keep the public school mask mandate in place.
The National Parents Union, also a member of the council, wrote a May 2021 op-ed defending the teaching of Critical Race Theory in the classroom.
“For the sake of parents, teachers, and students across the nation, if this overtly partisan Council continues, it is not too late for the Department to invite parents and families to the discussion,” the Republican senators wrote.
