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Saturday past, the National Education Association (NEA) concluded their 2021 Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly. America’s largest teacher’s union/PAC describes their annual event as “the largest democratic deliberative assembly in the world.” From the NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly website:
“NEA’s Annual Meeting takes place during the final week of June and/or the first week of July. Various committees, constituencies, caucuses, leadership groups, and delegates from state and local affiliates gather to set policy and chart the direction of NEA business.
The Representative Assembly (RA) takes place during the final four days of the Annual Meeting. It is the primary legislative and policymaking body of the Association and derives its powers from, and is responsible to, the membership. The Representative Assembly adopts the strategic plan and budget, resolutions, the Legislative Program, and other policies of the Association. Delegates vote by secret ballot on proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws. Those delegates with full voting rights elect the executive officers, Executive Committee members, and at-large members of the NEA Board of Directors, as appropriate.
The RA consists of nearly 8,000 educator delegates representing state and local affiliates, student members, retired members, and other segments of the united education profession.”
This year, the RA held their virtual assembly June 30-July 3 during which time members considered over 100 different policies and NEA governing document amendments. By Assembly’s end the NEA had adopted 67 of them, including:
- Two NEA Constitution Amendments
- Two Bylaw Amendments
- Four of five proposed Resolutions
- Five new Policy Statements
- 11 of 15 Legislative Amendments
The RA was also offered 66 New Business Items (NBI) for contemplation. 23 of the NBI’s were straight out Adopted, one other adopted item has been Referred to the NEA President and another 21 have been Referred to the Appropriate Committee. The 20 remaining NBIs were Defeated (10), Withdrawn (7) with another four, Ruled Out of Order. The following article highlights some of the NBIs and other Items adopted into NEA law/policy last week. Links are provided at the end of the piece for anybody interested in perusing all Items presented for Assembly consideration.
AMENDMENTS – Constitutional, Bylaw and Legislative
An overwhelming majority of the Amendments – Constitution, Bylaw and Legislative – are money oriented, including demands that the federal government provide goods and services the NEA has identified necessary for a teacher to be able to execute their duties. New legislation outlines requests for higher wages and unemployment compensation be accorded all union members in education department employ, lowers membership dues for some and broadens union member eligibility definitions. A few pieces of adopted business focus on getting retired members back into the fold. Looks like the PAC is trying to bulk up their membership base; collect those union dues and create a few propagandists in the process. (I was not planning to editorialize or opine, simply share some news. Plans changed about four lines into reading the meeting minutes.)
Interesting bits of policy adopted include a fairly predictable Constitutional Amendment 2, expanding NEA union membership eligibility language to include, “… and gender identity/expression, …” to the section describing classes of peoples protected against hiring discrimination practices already contained within the document. (No, Virginia, a girl cannot be denied NEA union membership because they are possessed of pesky male biology.) Three of the new Legislative Amendments pique interest insofar as “what exactly is the NEA’s Mission Statement and how big is their political hammer?” arena.
Legislative Amendment 4 was adopted by the NEA’s Assembly, permitting the union’s voice and power to be used in efforts to re-write the U.S. Constitution. “The 13th Amendment allows the enslavement of people convicted of a crime. Forced prison labor should be unethical and perpetuates systemic racism,” says the NEA.
Legislative Amendment 11 references changing federal voting rights and practices.
Legislative Amendment 13 proposes “to end programs that facilitate the militarization of local police forces.”
Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and federal voting law have been deemed causes best addressed by representatives of public school employees. Adopting these measures, alone, effectively silences NEA posits of being an industry-specific trade organisation working for their members. The teacher’s union’s role and sole purpose is a Political Action Committee (PAC) existing to change federal laws using lobbying funds gleaned from the pockets of good teachers who are mandated to pay via obsolete labor union constructs.
Policy Statement Amendments
Existing policies were clarified/defined under the sub-sections Privatization and Subcontracting Programs, and Charter School definitions. Public-private partnerships as well as official stances on “social impact bond” practices are strongly represented in the new Policy Statement Amendments. After a cursory skim, one gets the idea that the NEA is trying to eliminate via fiat all private sector competition, at all levels of education. Even non-union bus drivers are to be shunned. Competition from the private sector creates an inequitable world for the public sector employee, it’s been declared.
Adopted Resolutions and Amendments
Plans to fund the exploration and implementation of virtual learning constructs, for teachers and students, abound.
Resolution 1 ensures translation services for students throughout the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. The IEP is part of federal law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It has been defined as a program designed to meet the unique needs of a student; we used to call it Special Education.
Resolution 4 updates policy language protecting the privacy of “LGBTQ+” students; “… educators and peers must respect these students and their choice of whether or not to reveal their orientation, identity, or expression.” Two thoughts – first, if everybody kept their sexuality to themselves, we’d not have to worry about respecting privacy or being considerate of preferences. Second thought – MUST respect? Or, what? Off to the re-education camps?
Resolution 5 was adopted to ensure public school system denizens – employees of education agencies and students – are not forced to act against public health department advice. (Resolution 5 appears to be at direct odds with Resolution 1; it is not possible to provide for a special needs student when not sharing physical surroundings. If kids are not in school, does the Special Ed student need a translator? Logic seems to be the only thing missing from the NEA agenda.)
While there are a handful of nods toward student and staff safety, asking for money to conduct building inspections and repairs for example, most of this year’s business illuminates the racist, anti-American agenda that drives our teacher’s unions. The NEA is, officially, a device of systemic racism. They are out of the closet. You can tick off every box. Some real insanity can be found in the New Business Items (NBI) that were Defeated. Unfortunately, too many of the other bizarre NBIs were Adopted; let’s start with ‘A’.
NEW BUSINESS ITEMS
NBI A creates a task force to identify “… criteria for safe, just, and equitable schools …” The task force will root out all racism and race-based discrimination in the public school system AND in U.S. society. The force is tasked with many, many responsibilities; including, finding a way to, “eradicate racist laws, policies, and practices, the over-criminalization of communities, students, and families of Native people and people of color, as well as the criminalization of poverty.“
NBI 1 is about voting rights and not overturning the will of the voter.
NBI 2 promises to publicize the names of any entity that does not wish CRT, or any bigotry, taught in our public education facilities.
NBI 5 encourages defiance against state law – supporting transgender youth and warning of the dangers of anti-trans legislation for students, including sports-related.
NBI 6 adds something called Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) definitions to the IEP program to promote “full inclusion.”
NBI 11 states the NEA will use its voice to raise awareness about “period poverty;” a lack of access to menstrual supplies.
NBI 16 promises to enlighten teachers to the importance of proper name spellings and pronunciation via a series of articles slated to appear in trade publications. The cultural and historical importance of names will be taught and teachers will be provided tools to help with the quest to spell and pronounce names, properly.
NBI 18 encourages and supports teacher efforts in “decolonizing the curriculum.”
NBI 22 authorizes advocation for equal access to health care endeavours, focused on “rural and/or multicultural areas“. (and/or – that’s significant)
NBI 38 promises to, “…publicize via appropriate social media a call to end Title 42, the Trump-era racist policy of turning away immigrants at the southern border and forcing family separations. NEA will further publicize via appropriate social media a call for the shutdown of all child detention centers and support granting refugee status, as well as an increased number of work and family visas, to immigrant children and their families.” This is the type of important, national security issue we hire our public education department employees to resolve. Preferably, using blatant partisanship to curry support for their taxpayer-funded, anti-American activism. Score, NEA.
See Also: Teacher’s Unions Write COVID-19 Policy?
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There is a nugget of good hidden amid the toilet flush – honesty. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is definitely to be found in United States public education system classrooms. People who’d suggest anything otherwise are filthy liars, says the NEA via New Business Item 39. Here, have a read for yourself:
“The NEA will, with guidance on implementation from the NEA president and chairs of the Ethnic Minority Affairs Caucuses:
A. Share and publicize, through existing channels, information already available on critical race theory (CRT) — what it is and what it is not; have a team of staffers for members who want to learn more and fight back against anti-CRT rhetoric; and share information with other NEA members as well as their community members.
B. Provide an already-created, in-depth, study that critiques empire, white supremacy, anti-Blackness, anti-Indigeneity, racism, patriarchy, cisheteropatriarchy, capitalism, ableism, anthropocentrism, and other forms of power and oppression at the intersections of our society, and that we oppose attempts to ban critical race theory and/or The 1619 Project.
C. Publicly (through existing media) convey its support for the accurate and honest teaching of social studies topics, including truthful and age-appropriate accountings of unpleasant aspects of American history, such as slavery, and the oppression and discrimination of Indigenous, Black, Brown, and other peoples of color, as well as the continued impact this history has on our current society. The Association will further convey that in teaching these topics, it is reasonable and appropriate for curriculum to be informed by academic frameworks for understanding and interpreting the impact of the past on current society, including critical race theory.
D. Join with Black Lives Matter at School and the Zinn Education Project to call for a rally this year on October 14—George Floyd’s birthday—as a national day of action to teach lessons about structural racism and oppression. Followed by one day of action that recognize and honor lives taken such as Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, and others. The National Education Association shall publicize these National Days of Action to all its members, including in NEA Today.
E. Conduct a virtual listening tour that will educate members on the tools and resources needed to defend honesty in education including but not limited to tools like CRT.
F. Commit President Becky Pringle to make public statements across all lines of media that support racial honesty in education including but not limited to critical race theory.”
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NBI 40 wants to ensure historically black colleges get the federal funds they are deserved and have not received due to federal incompetence, or something.
NBI 41 seeks to create a coalition of pop stars to declare anti “anti-racism” legislature as heinously racist.
NBIs 37 and 42 mandate the teaching of the white man’s genocidal ways; the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust, in particular.
NBI 45 wants NEA resources to focus on programs and partnerships concerning genocide, femicide and ethnic cleansing.
NBI 44 proclaims support for and offers tools to help unionise Amazon workers.
NBI 48 is, surprisingly, good for kids and the nation! Beginning this Fall, the NEA will begin an awareness campaign spotlighting the importance of fathers in a students life. Hallelujah.
NBI 49 takes on environmental pollution.
NBI 51 promises to “educate members and the general public about the history, culture, and struggles of Palestinians, including the detention and abuse of children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.“
NBI 54 takes on the business of the NEA’s business meeting. The organisation will not be doing business in “any state that openly supports voter suppression, including states that revoke voting rights for people who are convicted of felonies who have completed their sentence.“
NBI 55 . . . savvy reader, you are most welcome to work on the meaning of this particular piece of twistyspeak. “NEA will promote the use of strength-based labels and titles rather than deficit-based labels in existing communication channels, by publicizing that school-ascribed designations in reading and language can reinforce negative self-concepts and the perception that students cannot achieve.” Are they trying to paraphrase, most dogs respond to positive reinforcement moreso than they will using punishment, without sounding speciesist?
NBI 56 ensures teachers they will never, ever have to show up to school when they don’t want to work, again. Resolutions and Policies and Amendments about virtual learning are not enough. With New Business Item 56, the NEA says they want to be part of Public Health-related decision making processes, not just the willing followers of agency edicts. The union seeks to establish their own Department of Health and Safety. It will be a partnership shared with existing federal, state and local agencies. Oh, and the NEA will also help organise new unions, safely.
The adopted amendment re/following public health official guidance seems unnecessary in light of this news. This group is not playing when they say nobody who followed a vocational call because they care about kids is going to be forced to go to school if he or she does not want to go to school. Besides, there are unrepresented laborers to influence. Summer and holiday breaks, while working from home? Dangle that carrot.
NBI 57 directs the NEA to write a letter to the Secretary of Education asking for a national, federal education guideline mandating all children in grades pre-K thru 6 have a one half hour recess period in their school day. Funny how kids didn’t get diagnosed with ADHD and medicated into a state of complacency when typical grade school days did contain recess and P.E. periods. Kids need to move. Unless they are online. Then, they are free to fidget so don’t need recess to build physical coordination along with a few social skills.
NBI 58 outlines the need for students to be factually educated about the “Tulsa Massacre.” Factually, heh.
NBI 59 demands charter schools be held to the same standard as all public education facilities when it comes to safe construction. Building codes allow schools to be built in an unsafe fashion, or on toxic ground? Who knew?
NBI 61 gives permission to spend money on suicide alertness classes for a limited number of delegates sent from each school. Hope the kid who has given up on life decides to talk to a trained delegate rather than waste their time sharing problems with an unalert teacher.
NBI 62 goes on and on about ganging up with other socialist organisations to help distracted or disinterested women rear their young. It’s got money and language and cultural relevancy topics, amock. The good part about NBI 62 is how the program is described to be for “working mothers and parents.” They said “mothers.” Naughty naughty.
And, the final ingredient in our NEA Socialist Stew to receive the spotlight treatment today is NBI 64. “The NEA will educate its members, using existing electronic media, about the positive effects that having a tax-supported, single-payer health care plan for all residents of the United States, its territories, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico would have on reducing the U.S. health care gap.” Yeah, no.
Beyond one item addressing the importance of fathers being in a child’s life, there were no rules adopted suggesting parental responsibility and support, at home and for the schools, would greatly improve student behaviour and GPAs. An NEA awareness campaign requiring parents to be active participants in their child’s education process would be interesting. Particularly if guardians of public school attendees were told they MUST respect that edict.
I encourage anybody who has the time to review all of the Representative Assembly’s business items, those adopted and otherwise (links, below) to fully immerse oneself into the predatory nature of the National Education Association. They enjoy using our children to further their own end. If we, as a nation, wish to have a public education system that teaches our children how to think, not what to think, we need to be rid of the teacher’s unions. Until they are gone, all of the ranting at School Board meetings is for naught. The Boards do not make the rules, the teacher’s unions make the rules.
2021 National Education Association Annual Meeting
& Representative Assembly – Business Items
(click BOLDED, CAPITALIZED link for summary item page which will also contain links to the full Item)
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAW AMENDMENTS
LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENTS
POLICY STATEMENTS
RESOLUTIONS
NEW BUSINESS ITEMS
FINAL NEW BUSINESS ITEMS – pdf file showing Business Items as submitted for RA review by June 25, 2021. Contains info on Withdrawn, Defeated, Ruled Out of Order Items that may be missing from final decision pages.