Parent Organization: Teachers Unions Help Drive Leftist Political Activism In K-12 Schools

The American Parents Coalition says national education groups and affiliated organizations are promoting activist lessons, protests and lawsuits that reach students as early as kindergarten.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

A parent advocacy organization says teachers unions and education groups are helping move political activism into K-12 classrooms, including early-childhood settings, through curriculum materials, protest training, litigation and state education standards.

The American Parents Coalition said in a new report that organizations such as the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association have prioritized or supported efforts that expose students to left-wing political themes and activist campaigns.

Alleigh Marré, executive director of the American Parents Coalition, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the organization sees a structured path beginning in the earliest grades and later extending into protests, lawsuits and political advocacy.

“These efforts begin in the earliest educational settings. Schools are integrating this curriculum into preschool classrooms and hosting events for elementary students. Then those same children are directed toward protests and lawsuits. This pipeline has become standard practice, and parents likely have no idea it is happening until it is already in motion,” Marré said.

The report cited five examples that APC says show how activism has entered education systems and union-backed networks.

One example involved May Day 2026, a nationwide May 1 protest organized around messages including “Tax the rich,” “ICE Out,” and “Expand democracy, not corporate power.” Defending Education reported in April that a host toolkit promoted coordinated actions, including school walk-ins.

The Midwest Academy, one of the groups that trained teachers and students for the protests, has received $1,735,000 from the NEA since 2015, according to Defending Education. More than 5,000 demonstrations took place across the United States during May Day 2026, according to the May Day Strong website.

The APC report also pointed to claims involving the Chicago Teachers Union, the AFT’s Chicago chapter. School choice activist Corey DeAngelis alleged in an X post last April that the union distributed curriculum describing President Donald Trump as a “fascist.” The materials allegedly cited Trump’s federal job cuts and “Going after cities with Black Mayors” as examples. The source material also identified Chicago Teachers Union in connection with the claim.

A third example centered on PCUN v. Mullin, formerly PCUN v. Noem. The NEA and AFT filed an emergency motion in the case seeking to block U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from accessing “sensitive locations” such as schools, hospitals and churches, according to an AFT press release.

The underlying lawsuit was filed in April 2025 against the Department of Homeland Security, then led by Kristi Noem, and ICE by community organizations and faith leaders represented by Innovation Law Lab and Justice Action Center. The Justice Action Center’s case page describes the litigation involving sensitive locations. The case was formerly tied to Noem before becoming PCUN v. Mullin, according to the report.

APC also highlighted a 2018 one-page document titled “They’re not too young to talk about race!” The document, which APC attributed to Philadelphia-based The Children’s Community School, states that white children’s “expression of racial prejudice often peak” around ages 4 to 5.

“Silence about race reinforces racism by letting children draw their own conclusions based on what they see. Teachers and families can play a powerful role in helping children of all ages develop positive attitudes about race and diversity and skills to promote a more just future,” the document states.

APC also included an image of the one-pager attributed to The Children’s Community School.

The fifth example involved Oregon’s 2024 Social Science Standards, which APC said direct students to “identify examples of unfairness or injustice.” The standards remain in use, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Education confirmed to the DCNF.

“Effective social science instruction cultivates respect for diverse aspects of identity such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic class, and disability. The standards support students in developing an understanding of the immense strengths demonstrated by communities striving for equity despite systemic barriers. Evaluating the motivations and contexts of resistance movements, protests, and everyday resilience requires students to appreciate the inequities and challenges faced by traditionally underrepresented individuals and groups,” the policy states.

The Oregon chapters of AFT and NEA spent $118,166 and $275,503, respectively, on lobbying during the state’s 2025 legislative session, according to an OregonLive report from last August.

AFT, NEA and The Children’s Community School did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.

Marré said parents should monitor school materials and remain involved early in their children’s education if they want to prevent political activism from replacing academics.

“Parents need to be engaged in their children’s education early and stay involved. Read and review your child’s curriculum and their daily assignments. Talk to their teachers and get to know other parents. Demand transparency from schools and attend school board meetings to advocate for policies that keep parents involved and focus on education, not activism,” Marré told the DCNF when asked about possible solutions.

She said the issue is ultimately about whether schools are prioritizing academics or political causes.

“Parents send their children to school expecting them to learn how to read, write, and think for themselves. What many are getting instead is an agenda from more interested in pushing political causes at the expense of academic performance and preparedness for the future. Parents are the solution. They are the ones who can and must take back control of their children’s education,” Marré said.