When teachers strike, somewhere the argument always appears that they are seeking more money and better conditions “for the children.”
That common talking point, however, took a huge hit when teachers, striking in San Francisco recently, emailed parents and told them not to help their kids learn.
A new report from CBN documents the situation, and explains that the teachers were concerned that actual learning, “educational progress,” without them would undermine their arguments.
The CBN report:
CBN described the circumstance as “a jaw-dropping power play” during the strike.
“San Francisco’s teachers union didn’t just walk off the job. They emailed parents, urging them to avoid homeschooling their kids or providing any at-home learning,” CBN said.
“Why? Because any educational progress families made independently would weaken the union’s negotiating position. This move spotlights the raw clash between powerful public school unions and fundamental parental rights.”
It was the head of Education Opportunity at the America First Policy Institute, Erika Donalds, who explained the stunning demand.
“Donalds calls it how she sees it—a monopoly on education that only survives because too many parents feel trapped with no real alternatives,” the report said.
It also noted that the number of homeschooled children has nearly doubled in the past six years to at least four million nationwide.
Public schools, during the same time period, lost as many as three million students, meaning they are no longer getting state funding on those students.
