parenting

Why Are Teachers Unions Celebrating ‘May Day’ – A Communist Workers Holiday?

The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) are joining other leftist groups and encouraging members to celebrate May Day Strong National Day of Action with hundreds of rallies across the country. 

To be clear, the events taking place on May 1 aren’t a celebration of spring, with frolicking around maypoles, wearing flower wreaths and delivering baskets of spring blossoms to friends. 

May Day, also known as International Workers Day, started as a commemoration of a violent labor feud in Chicago in 1886, with workers protesting unsafe working conditions and striking to win an eight-hour workday. But anarchist, Marxist, socialist and labor groups quickly adopted the day in 1899. 

Communist countries used May Day to celebrate their military power and the government takeover of private property and the means of production. 

May Day Strong is an anti-capitalist political event, rooted in Marxist and socialist ideologies. 

But I’m sure the educators in these unions know their history. 

Many individual teachers love children, do good work and are subject matter experts, but it’s clear that the two largest teachers unions have been co-opted by radical activists. 

The NEA and AFT are part of a May Day Strong coalition, with hundreds of other leftist member groups promoting this year’s focus: “Workers Over Billionaires.” These extremist organizations are calling for a day of “No work. No school. No shopping.” 

The NEA explains what the Day of Action entails, saying: 

This May Day will be a day of rallies, marches, teach-ins, labor actions, and a refusal of business as usual – because when those at the top rig the system, collective action is how we set it right.

The NEA is the largest labor union in the U.S., claiming 2.8 million members. It has created a May Day 2026 Toolkit and a Walk-In Guide for educators to use as they “join workers, parents, students, and community members to rise up for dignity, justice, and public investment in our lives, not in billionaires’ profit margins.” 

Walk-Ins are 30-45 minute events before the school day where “parents, educators, and students, along with neighbors and community leaders” meet in front of their school for a rally. During school hours, teachers are encouraged to have students create artwork and write reports about the day. 

Again, this is a political event, with teachers unions encouraging the indoctrination of children into Marxist and socialist ideologies. 

The NEA lists its “demands to build the society we ALL deserve”: 

  • “Stop the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration.”
  • “Protect and defend Medicaid, Social Security and other programs working people rely on.”
  • “Fully fund public schools, healthcare and housing for all.”
  • “Stop the attacks on our communities, including policies targeting immigrants, people of color, Native people, people with disabilities, and those who identify as LGBTQ+.”

The AFT and NEA join dozens of extremist anti-capitalist groups like the Communist Party USA, Labor Notes, Socialists Alternative and Democratic Socialists of America to celebrate and promote Marxist ideologies. 

In a post on X, Moms for Liberty questioned why teachers unions are pushing children toward leftist political dogma – instead of teaching the basics: 

Teachers unions are supposed to teach kids, not mobilize political agitation. 

Now NEA, WEA [Washington Education Association], AFT, and Seattle Ed are backing May Day Strong, pushing “educate, agitate, organize,” walk-ins, and power-building. 

Parents should be asking: what exactly are our schools being used for?

Meanwhile, the Chicago Teachers Union, one of the largest AFT local groups, is calling for total school closures and promoting participation in the event as a “civic duty.” 

Parents of children in public schools generally think their local schools are doing a good job. And, again, many schools and teachers do terrific work. 

But national surveys demonstrate low academic achievement among most students. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card, fewer than two thirds of American eighth graders can do math (26%), read (30%), or do science (31%) at grade level.

Despite their rhetoric, teachers unions don’t advocate for students – they advocate for teachers. Perhaps if educators spent less time agitating, organizing and power-building, we would see students performing better. 

Focus on the Family’s “Equipping Parents for Back-to-School” helps you be aware of what’s happening in the classroom and empowers you to advocate for your child in school. The free, downloadable resource offers insights about exercising school choice and protecting children’s free speech and religious liberty.

Related articles and resources: 

BLM at School Week – Indoctrinating and Training Radical Activist Children

‘Critical Social Justice’ in Education – If it Can Happen in Idaho, It Can Happen Anywhere

Cynthia Tobias – ‘Reclaiming Education: Teach Your Child to Be a Confident Learner’

Educators, Parents and Students Rally to Support National School Choice Week

‘Equipping Parents For Back-To-School’ – Updated Resource Empowers Parents

Is ‘Critical Race Theory’ Being Taught in Public Schools? CRT Deniers Claim it Isn’t

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California, America Grapple with ‘Epidemic of Sexual Abuse’ in Schools

A California school district failed to properly investigate more than 100 allegations of sexual misconduct perpetrated against students by school employees over nearly a decade, investigators determined last month.

The disturbing findings are the latest development in what lawyer John Manly, who represents victims of sex abuse and assault, calls “an epidemic of sexual abuse in California by teachers, coaches and other school employees.”

California’s attorney general’s office began investigating El Monte Union High School District in late 2023 after Business Insider published “The Predators’ Playground,” a harrowing article documenting decades of educator sexual abuse at El Monte’s Rosemead High School.

The subsequent 18-month investigation, which concluded in March, determined El Monte “failed to conduct legally compliant investigations” into more than 100 cases of sexual misconduct allegations dating back to 2018.

The state also discovered at least five cases in which a staff member continued to abuse and harass students after another staffer failed to report either the perpetrator’s misconduct or allegations against the perpetrator.

School employees in California must legally report allegations, suspicions or accounts of child sexual abuse to law enforcement within 36 hours. Failure to do so can result in up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Yet, according to Manly, El Monte employees aren’t the only ones violating California’s mandatory reporting laws.

“In the vast majority of cases, the mandatory reporting statute is ignored and schools investigate [sexual misconduct allegations] themselves,” the attorney told investigative journalist Catherine Herridge in February.

“The problem when institutions or people investigate themselves, in my experience, is they rarely find themselves guilty.”

At a press conference on the El Monte investigation’s conclusion, California Attorney General Rob Bonta admitted he expects to confront similar cases in the future.

“I don’t think this will be the last case of this type, unfortunately,” he told reporters.

California school districts have lost more than $3 billion in sexual abuse cases since 2020, when the state extended its statute of limitations on crimes of child sexual abuse.

But Bonta also believes his office’s reforms can rehabilitate districts like El Monte.

“We think we’ve arrived at a model that can help districts that have failed systemically, transform,” he said.

El Monte will undergo a lengthy period of state supervision following the investigation, including:

  • State oversight of the district’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations.
  • Creating a list of all substitute teachers “found to have violated employee policy on appropriate boundaries with students.”
  • Training parents and students to better recognize signs of grooming and abuse.

The reforms compliment a new California law, which Governor Gavin Newsom signed in October 2025, creating a non-public database of school staff accused of misconduct.

While these provisions might well reduce educator sexual abuse in El Monte, they won’t “transform” it, or any other compromised districts, because they don’t address the legislative, cultural and institutional problems which perpetuate child predation in schools.

Most glaringly, Bonta’s model doesn’t address the reality that it is often faster and cheaper for schools to “pass the trash,” or shuffle school employees accused of sexual misconduct to other schools or districts, than it is to fire them.

“In public education in most states, it’s next to impossible to fire a bad teacher.” Manly tells Herridge. “They actually pay them to go away, even if they’ve sexually abused children.”

These predators get passed along to an average of three schools, often ending up in a low-income areas with a disproportionate number of vulnerable students and fewer parents with means to protect their children.

Bonta’s plan, which addresses district-by-district wrongdoing, cannot fix the fact that California law does not require schools notify parents if their child says a school employee sexually assaulted them or if another student makes an allegation of sexual misconduct against their child’s teacher.

California parents must also file a public records request to obtain any data about reported allegations of or disciplinary actions for sexual misconduct.

Manly puts it in perspective:

No one knows how many teachers have abused. Nobody knows how many teachers have been credibly accused. Nobody knows how many teachers in the state have been suspended or have had their licenses suspended. It’s completely opaque, and it shouldn’t be.

Bonta’s plan certainly doesn’t address the role teachers’ unions play in negotiating confidentiality clauses and non-disclosure agreements preventing schools from alerting future employers about sexual misconduct allegations against a former employee.

These structural problems allow educator sexual abuse to continue unchecked. Legislators and school officials must tackle them for district-by-district reforms like Bonta’s to be most effective.

Unfortunately, the epidemic of sexual abuse by school employees is not just in California. It’s a national issue — and has been for decades.

Charol Shakeshaft, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and the foremost authority on educator sexual abuse, estimates nearly 1 in 5 children (17%) in America experience sexual misconduct by a school employee.

The same obstacles that afflict California — passing the trash, failure to enforce mandatory reporting laws, lack of transparency and consistent reporting and predators using teachers’ unions as shields — plague every other state in the nation, too, to varying degrees.

The question isn’t whether there are victims; it’s whether schools will document victims’ claims and, subsequently, whether victims can take their cases to court.

Educator sexual abuse is prevalent and frightening. The Daily Citizen is buckling down to get you the information you need to protect your children. Stay tuned.

Additional Articles and Resources

Counseling Services

Abusive Relationships

Passing the Trash: Here’s What Parents Need to Know About Educator Sexual Misconduct

Usha Vance Launches ‘Storytime With the Second Lady’ 

Second lady Usha Vance announced a new podcast for kids, “Storytime with the Second Lady.” She launched the event by reading Beatrix Potter’sThe Tale of Peter Rabbit.

The initiative comes at a time when national reading scores are down and fewer students are reading for pleasure. 

Vance explained that the effort to encourage children to read comes from her own love of books and her desire to improve children’s literacy: 

Reading for pleasure at home builds stronger literacy and classroom skills and opens the door to a world of opportunity for children. I’m excited to invite special guests to share great stories, spread their love of reading, and help reverse the decline of childhood literacy rates in our country.

In a post on X, the second lady invited parents and children to join her in hearing books read aloud.

In the first episode of the podcast, available on YouTube and Spotify, Vance described reading with her own children, Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel:  

I’ve always loved reading, from when I was a kid until today. And now as a mom, story time with my kids is the highlight of my day. 

Books have taken our family on so many adventures. Through books, we’ve learned so many new things about science and nature, far away countries, ancient civilizations,America’s history, and more. Most of all, we’ve had lots of fun reading together. I thought it would be even more fun to share story time with all of you.

The second lady then went on to read The Tale of Peter Rabbit, the classic by Potter (spoiler alert), where mischievous Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and comes to regret it. Old Mrs. Rabbit specifically instructs her children not to get into mischief, nor go into Mr. McGregor’s garden where his poor father “had an accident there” and “was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.” 

Naughty Peter, of course, goes straight to the garden, eats some vegetables and almost suffers the same fate as his father. Thankfully, he escapes, albeit with the loss of his shoes and new blue jacket. 

The lesson is learned though: Listen to your parents or you’ll get sick and have to drink a spoonful of chamomile tea, while your sisters eat bread, milk and blackberries for dinner. 

In the second podcast, former professional racing driver Danica Patrick joined Vance to read two stories from Walt Disney’s Cars franchise. In the third episode, paralympic athlete Brent Poppen, who won a bronze medal in Wheelchair Rugby at the 2004 Athens Games, read his own book, Playground Lessons-Friendship and Forgiveness: Harley and His Wheelchair. 

The initiative comes at a time when reading for pleasure is at an all-time low. In 2024, a report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the Nation’s Report Card, showed that only 31% of fourth grade students and 30% of eighth graders were reading at the proficient level or above. 

The NAEP also found a downward trend in numbers of nine-year-old students reading for fun. In 1984, 53% read almost every day and 28% read once or twice a week for fun. In 2022, those numbers had dropped to 39% and 25%, respectively. 

Sixteen percent of nine-year-olds in 2022 never or hardly ever read for fun, compared with 9% in 1984. 

Similarly, a study published in September 2025 from the University of Florida and University College London “found that daily reading for pleasure in the United States has declined by more than 40% over the last 20 years.” 

Research demonstrates that reading for pleasure “is linked to greater intellectual progress, both in vocabulary, spelling and mathematics.” Leisure reading is connected with academic achievement, better career prospects and emotional well-being. 

Vance has developed other initiatives to improve reading skills in children, such as the Summer Reading Challenge, where children read 12 books to receive a small prize and a chance to visit the Capitol, and the Bookmark Design Challenge, where students submit designs connected with America’s 250th Anniversary.

The Daily Citizen wishes the second lady success as she works to encourage reading in America’s students. 

Related articles and resources: 

5 Positive Effects Reading Has on Child Development

22 Books Kids Read at School

60 Classic Adventure Books for Children

The Blessings of Books: Plugged In’s Year-End Picks

Brilliant Books 2022: Plugged In’s Year-End Picks

Gobble-Worthy Books 2023: Plugged In’s Yearly Picks

Best Books of 2024: Plugged In’s Year-End Picks

Connecting With Your Kids Through Reading

Good Books for Kids to Read: How to Find Them

How to Find Great Books to Read to Your Kids

How to Raise Kids Who Love Reading

Keep Lots of Books in Your Home – It Matters for Your Children

Nearly Half of Americans Read Zero Books in 2025

Ohio Court: Parents Not Required To Support Child’s ‘Transsexual Identity’

An Ohio court ruled that the state’s juvenile court was wrong to suggest that a mother and father were unfit parents because they would not affirm their daughter’s “transsexual identity.” 

Across the country, child protective service agencies, courts and state legislatures have worked to label non-affirmation of a child’s “gender identity” a sign of “abuse” or “coercive control.” 

Children’s agencies and courts in Arizona, California, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, Texas and other states have removed children from parents’ custody because they would not allow damaging transgender medical interventions. Many of those parents are now fighting lengthy, expensive court battles to regain their children.

The court’s ruling is a welcome affirmation of parental rights and a rejection of “transgender” ideology. 

The decision from the Court of Appeals Twelfth Appellate District of Ohio involved a child custody battle as the court decided whether her mother, father, or Clinton County Children Services should have permanent custody over a 14-year-old girl, “Sara.” 

The opinion, from Judge Matthew R. Byrne, joined by Judges Robert A. Hendrickson and Robin N. Piper, explained in a footnote: 

Though not stated explicitly, there is some suggestion in the state’s brief and in the juvenile court’s permanent custody decision that Mother and Father were unfit as parents because they both were initially reluctant to embrace Sara’s announcement that she was transgender and/or using male pronouns. We disagree. 

There is no requirement in Ohio law that parents must unquestioningly accept and support their minor children’s claims of transsexual identity or preferred pronouns.

The ruling pointed to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision Mirabelli v. Bonta which upheld parents’ rights to raise their children free from transgender indoctrination and subterfuge from local schools: 

Quite recently, Justice Barrett, joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh, emphasized that “the doctrine of substantive due process has long embraced a parent’s right to raise her child, which includes the right to participate in significant decisions about her child’s mental health.”

The Ohio judges went on to explain that her mother and father’s “cautious reaction” to their daughter’s vacillating “gender identity” was not cause for removing Sara from their custody: 

From a best-interest analysis perspective, we see no serious concern presented by Mother’s and Father’s cautious reactions to Sara’s disclosure of her perceived transgender status and preference for male pronouns. 

This lack of concern is particularly bolstered here, where both Karen [Sara’s half-sister] and Sara’s therapist testified that Sara is struggling with gender identity and sexuality, and Karen explained that Sara tended to “change” her sexuality every four to five weeks.” Children who struggle with these issues deserve sober and sensitive guidance, and Ohio law does not require parents unquestioningly to accept whatever their children say about their gender identity or sexuality at that particular moment.

The decision highlights serious problems with transgender ideology: Most children and adolescents who struggle with gender identity will desist and embrace their biological reality. 

Sara’s use of pronouns illustrate the impermanence of her changing, unstable identity, as the court detailed: 

The record indicates that, during the pendency of the children’s services case, Sara repeatedly changed the pronouns that she prefers. We will refer to Sara accurately, as a female.

Activists and their allies, on the other hand, falsely promote transgenderism as stable and permanent. So they’ve worked to remove children from parents who won’t affirm these mostly transient identities. 

In Sara’s case – because of other serious parental and family problems – the court did rule that it was in her best interest to come under the custody of Clinton County Children’s services. 

But the court sensibly ruled that Sara’s parents’ response to her sexual identity confusion was not an issue in their decision. 

The decision, In re. S.B., can be found here. 

Related articles and resources: 

Activist Erin Friday on Protecting Kids and Fighting Gender Ideology

Colorado Bill Would Force Parents to Accept Child’s New ‘Gender Identity’

Erin Friday on Family Courts, ‘Transgender’ Sanctuary States and Fighting to Protect Parental Rights

HHS Tells States Not to Remove Children From Parents Who Affirm Biological Reality

Indiana Family Loses Custody of Son Over Religious Beliefs; Supreme Court Won’t Hear Case

Proposed Executive Order Would Protect Parental Rights

Sixteen States Sue Trump Administration for Protecting Children from ‘Trans’ Procedures 

Supreme Court Affirms Parents’ Rights Over California’s ‘Transgender’ School Policies

Kentucky Assembly Overrides Veto to Join Education Freedom Tax Credit Program 

The Kentucky General Assembly overrode a veto to join the newly created Education Freedom Tax Credit program. 

The federal program gives taxpayers up to a $1,700 tax credit for contributing to approved Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGO), nonprofits that provide scholarships for education-related expenses like tuition, fees, tutoring and classroom supplies at public or private schools. 

Kentucky joins almost 30 other states that have opted in or plan to participate in the program thus far. 

The Assembly passed House Bill 1 in late February, but Governor Andy Beshear vetoed the measure. The House voted 77-14-1 to overturn the veto, and the Senate followed up with a vote of 31-5. 

David Walls, executive director of The Family Foundation of Kentucky, a pro-life, pro-family organization, applauded the veto override, saying: 

The final passage of HB 1 by the General Assembly is a huge win for all Kentucky students. This program will give Kentucky students more resources to further their education regardless of where they go to school, a victory for educational freedom and parental rights.

In his veto message, Governor Beshear pointed to the Kentucky Constitution which requires public dollars be used only for public education – not private schools. He stated: 

With House Bill 1, the [Republican] supermajority is at it again, wanting to use a federal tax credit to divert public dollars to private schools.

But the governor was disingenuous. No public dollars are involved in the program, and no state money, either. 

Private citizens choose to donate to a nonprofit SGO – or not. Those organizations give scholarship money to K-12 students, many of whom attend public schools but will receive assistance for tutoring and school supplies. 

No state money is diverted from public schools. 

Even if students use the scholarship to attend a private school, it doesn’t take Kentucky dollars from public schools. 

The Education Freedom Tax Credit was created as part of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, also known as “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” While any taxpayer can donate to an SGO and receive the tax credit, states must join the program for its K-12 students to receive scholarship money. 

Next, as the Departments of Education and Treasury explain in a fact sheet, the state provides a list of qualifying SGOs to the federal government. Taxpayers can donate to any listed organization and receive the tax credit. 

K-12 students in participating states “from a household with income not greater than 300% of the area’s median gross income” can then apply for scholarships for educational needs. 

Taxpayers in states that don’t join the program can still donate to a qualified charitable scholarship organization and receive the tax credit, but students from that state will not be able to apply for scholarships. 

Walls explained that the program, like all educational freedom measures, benefits all families, allowing them to improve their children’s academic achievement: 

This new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program exists to give more choice and opportunity to students across the country. If the governor and teachers unions had their way, Kentucky students would miss out on money that students in other states have access to. 

Thankfully, the General Assembly chose to stand with Kentucky families and students over ideology. With the final passage of HB 1, Kentucky students are better off and will have more educational opportunities moving forward.

Related articles and resources: 

3 Reasons to Pay Attention to Your Child’s School

Advocating for Educational Freedom and School Choice

Deep Dive: What the Media Gets Right and Wrong About the Big, Beautiful Bill — and Why Families Should Care.

Education Department Celebrates National School Choice Week

‘Equipping Parents For Back-To-School’ – Updated Resource Empowers Parents

House Passes ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ With Tax Cuts & Pro-Family Policies

House Passes ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act,’ Finally Defunding Planned Parenthood

The Family Foundation of Kentucky

New Education Secretary Linda McMahon: ‘Send Education to the States’

School Choice for Parents

Schooling Options

Senate Passes ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ to Defund Planned Parenthood, Lower Taxes

Trump Ends Radical Indoctrination, Promotes Education Freedom