The two labor unions that serve America’s public schools are the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The NEA is the largest union in the US, with over 3 million members. The AFT boasts 1.7 million members.

With those two powerful entities looking over our nation’s teachers, we should have the best educational system in the world. But sadly, the unions, while looking after the teachers, have lost sight of our nation’s students.

As organizations for workers, they probably do very well with labor contracts and protecting the rights of their workers, but where do they have the authority over our schools to insist on teaching their version of social justice? Both unions held their annual conferences this summer.

The NEA conference was held by Zoom and the AFT conference in person. Both unions pledged their allegiance, not to academic improvement, which we desperately need, but to social justice in our schools.

In July, the AFT national conference hosted Ibram X. Kendi, the Boston University professor who wrote the book on Critical Race Theory (CRT) (How to Be an Antiracist). Randi Weingarten, the president of AFT, gaslighted those who oppose Kendi’s speaking and the union’s endorsement of CRT by accusing them of being heroes who call out today’s “culture warriors” who make any racial discussion “toxic.”

The NEA convention was equally supportive of CRT. Both unions pledged legal defense for any teacher disciplined for teaching Critical Race Theory, especially in the 20 states that have banned the teaching of the divisive theory.

Besides CRT, the unions support teaching sexuality from kindergarten through 12th grade. They readily make available abortion information if a student needs one and can’t get her parents to consent.

They stress the need to teach sexual identity (whatever sex a student wants to identify as being). They call for more “Trans” educators to enter the teaching profession and, of course, share your “Trans” experience with your students. They openly support Black Lives Matter, the 1619  Project, and iCivics. And this list is far from complete.

The NEA and the AFT have no right to push social justice on students in the name of academic progress. As parents voice their opposition to decisions made by their local school boards, it would be helpful if they also expressed their opposition to education labor unions’ intrusion in our classrooms.