The largest teachers union in the United States, the NEA represents more than three million employees working in public education. It recently held its 100th Representative Assembly in early July. The proposals that were approved, denied or referred to a committee during the convention could be viewed by visitors on the NEA's website.
But by the afternoon of Tuesday, July 6, some of the NEA's agenda items during its convention had disappeared from its website. The pages for these retracted agenda items redirect visitors to the 2021 assembly home page instead.
One of the most important resolutions that disappeared was New Business Item 39, which talked about the NEA's desire to fight against the push to remove CRT teaching from schools. This resolution passed.
According to the plan, which would cost the union at least $127,600 to promote and implement, the NEA would share and publicize information about what is and is not CRT. The NEA would also assign a dedicated team to assist union members who "want to learn more and fight back against anti-CRT rhetoric."
The business item also calls on the NEA to commission a study that critiques "power and oppression" in American society, including capitalism, "White supremacy" and "cisheteropatriarchy."
Lastly, the business item calls on educators to adopt an "accurate and honest" curriculum that teaches the "unpleasant aspects of American history." The NEA describes critical race theory as an appropriate framework to discuss these topics.
"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," read the business item.
CRT teaches that racism is intrinsic to American history and society, and that White Americans have to make amends and pay reparations for the crimes committed by White people over a century ago, particularly slavery and the discriminatory laws implemented during the Jim Crow era. (Related: Critical race theory is just anti-White racism, repackaged to brainwash an entire generation into growing up as racist BIGOTS filled with hatred.)
New Business Item 39 was not the only resolution taken down from the NEA's website. New Business Item 33, proposed by an educator from Oakland, California, pushed for the NEA to call for mandatory social distancing, mask-wearing and Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations in schools. It was defeated.
NEA pushing to investigate groups opposing CRT in schools
The NEA's backtracking from its anti-CRT stance comes after the organization recently voted to conduct opposition research on groups that opposed adding the CRT framework into education. This proposal allocated $56,500 for investigating groups that are against CRT in schools.
"NEA will research the organizations attacking educators doing anti-racist work and/or use the research already done and put together a list of resources and recommendations for state affiliates, locals and individual educators to utilize when they are attacked," read the proposal.
The NEA acknowledged that parents and powerful conservative groups are doing everything they can to fight against CRT in schools.
"The attacks on anti-racist teachers are increasing, coordinated by well-funded organizations such as the Heritage Foundation," said the NEA. "We need to be better prepared to respond to these attacks so that our members can continue this important work."
The disappearance of the NEA's resolutions was first discovered by Jessica Anderson, executive director of Heritage Action, the lobbying arm of the Heritage Foundation. Anderson posted her findings on social media.
"3 days after their annual meeting concludes, @NEAToday, the nation's largest teacher's union, scrubs the agenda items announcing their nationwide campaign to push CRT from their website," she wrote on her Twitter account. Why are they covering up their support for CRT?"
The NEA has not responded to requests for comments by news outlets on why the resolution pages were removed from the union's website or whether they will be made public again.
Learn more about the push by educators to include CRT in the curriculum of public schools, and what parents and organizations are doing to fight back at EducationSystem.news.
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