What are NEA leaders revealing?

To the editor:

Are the local NEA union leaders revealing to their members what NEA has become?

In our area of Ohio, many teachers are pro-life and conservative. With that in mind, before NEA membership sign-ups, should teachers be made aware of the policies that their dues dollars and PAC contributions stand for?

At the 2023 NEA Representative Assembly in Orlando, delegates passed the following amendment to their I-25 Resolution on Family Planning: “The Association supports state affiliates’ efforts to codify rights to full reproductive freedom.” This is a life-defying move that will put the Ohio Education Association state affiliate in partnership with Planned Parenthood, biggest abortion profiteer in the U.S.; with the ACLU, and among many other far-left organizations in an initiative we will face on the November ballot in Ohio. It will have NEA-OEA members working against Right to Life, Christian family organizations, pro-life pregnancy help centers, and more. In fact, OEA already sided with Planned Parenthood and other far-left groups by giving $1,000,000 toward defeating Ohio’s Issue #1 in August, and NEA gave $1,000,000, if not a lot more. In doing so, NEA and OEA made the upcoming November ballot initiative, which will deny parental rights regarding minors getting abortions or having sex changes, easier to pass.

Regarding other topics of concern, NEA supports use of gender identity pronouns, drag queens reading books to children, and made “Read Banned Books” a theme at this year’s NEA Representative Assembly, with Gender Queer and other controversial books on their suggested reading list. About 98% of NEA’s political money goes to Democrat party interests though the union has claimed ironically that 1/3 of its members are Republican. NEA supported Biden in the last Presidential election and has endorsed him for 2024.

Now for good news. Quitting NEA has become easier. Because of the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus Decision, it is no longer necessary to go through a lot of paperwork. The decision to put your signature on that sign-up sheet and pay $750 of your earnings a year, or to simply not join, is up to the classroom teacher. Regarding liability insurance, it’s generally covered through their school contract. Additional liability coverage is available through groups like the Association of American Educators, Christian Educators Association International, and through “on the job liability” carried by some home insurance policies, all at a fraction of NEA’s membership cost. A great goal would be for the whole school to quit the NEA and form an independent local. St. Henry Schools did that some years back, and now the teachers’ annual union fee is down to $150!

Finally, I challenge union leaders to tell their school’s teachers the truth about NEA’s ideology, where the money goes, NEA’s radical partnerships, and alternatives to the union that are available. Teachers have the right to know what they are signing up for. Many of strong faith and family values will not remain in the NEA.

Thank you,

Judy Bruns , Coldwater