NJEA Conference “Drag Queen Story Hour”

Rick Short, a concerned parent, scoped out the New Jersey Education Association’s (NJEA) conference this month where he encountered lessons on social justice, experienced harassment from security, and felt excitement for the NJEA president’s gubernatorial campaign. Rick also encountered drag queens who are regular performers at the NJEA’s “Drag Queen Story Hour” events for the past few years.

NJEA Snitch Line

Even after paying for entry, Rick and his teacher friend, who is not a member of the NJEA found themselves under constant surveillance. They suspected they were likely victims of the NJEA’s notorious snitch line. Due to their political involvement, the NJEA is now trying to avoid parental scrutiny so it’s no surprise that they would have concerns about parents attending the convention.

Rick made a video about his experience, click below:

The NJEA has been keeping tabs on parents for years, compiling a secret list of “problem parents” in their “Parent Tracker” ” system. If you dare to voice concerns about your child’s education, your private information and your child’s details could end up in this database, accessible to union leaders who could potentially use it to intimidate you and your family.

Social Engineering Your Children Through Education

The NJEA has long championed the idea that “Teaching is Political,” and this sentiment was on full display at their convention. The event featured a prominent lineup of activists and speakers who passionately addressed a variety of socio-political issues, emphasizing the intersection of education and advocacy. The activism sentiment could be found in display booths, giveaways, and displays.

An Activist Yard sign, created by librarian Kristen Garvey after Trump’s first election in 2016, was displayed at the convention and on the NJEA Facebook wall. The sign is a collection of quotes pulled together from activists, liberal politicians, and various social justice movements

It’s no secret that the NJEA and other social justice activists had influence on the New Jersey State Learning Standards, which includes the following mandate for New Jersey public schools:

The ICNA Council for Social Justice outlines the changes in the NJ 2020 standards that promote social justice. Sexual orientation and gender identity are a large portion of the sex-ed standards and are also woven into every subject in school through the purchased class materials. This forces teachers to include gender and sex justice in your child’s classroom even if they want to avoid it.

Keynote speaker Mychal Threets, a librarian and one of the speakers, seems like a genuinely nice guy. However, he advocates for unrestricted access to books for children, including titles like “Gender Queer” and other books containing explicit content which some adults consider softcore porn. Many librarians appear out of touch with what is developmentally appropriate when it comes to exposing children to sexual material. You would expect the teacher’s union to recognize the importance of curating books and limiting access based on age groups.

Spiller’s run for Governor

The teacher’s union has effectively become a political front, funded by teachers’ dues. It’s unethical for Sean Spiller to run, given the obvious conflict of interest. When public employee unions, like the NJEA, fund the campaigns of someone directly involved in contract negotiations it should raise serious concerns. This process resembles money laundering: the union collects funds, donates to the candidate who negotiates their contracts, and secures financial benefits in return.

The Sunlight Policy Center (SPCNJ) has been critical of Sean Spiller, the president of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) and mayor of Montclair, citing significant ethical concerns. They argue that Spiller represents a conflict of interest because he holds dual roles that involve negotiating teacher contracts and influencing local education budgets while benefiting from NJEA political support.

The SPCNJ points out that the NJEA has invested heavily in Spiller’s political career, such as supporting his mayoral campaign with unprecedented funding. They also view this as a misuse of teacher dues for political purposes, alleging that these actions prioritize Spiller’s political ambitions over teachers’ interests. The group also highlights his history of legal challenges, including being removed from a school budget oversight role due to conflicts of interest. Furthermore, Spiller has been accused of attempting to obscure details about his activities in legal cases, raising transparency concerns.