
Minnesotaâs largest teachers union is under fire this week over its âprofessional developmentâ courses on topis such as âInterrupting Whitenessâ and âLGBTQ+ Training.â
The âracial equity trainingsâ can be brought âto your buildingâ when requested by Education Minnesota members, the union website explains, and offer instruction on topics like âCulturally Responsive Teaching With a Racial Justice Lensâ and âCultural Competency.â Educators in the state are required to fulfill a âcultural competencyâ training in order to renew their teaching licenses, which can include topics such as âSystemic Racism,â âGender Identity, Including Transgender Students,â âLanguage Diversity,â and more, according to the state government page.
The union website features similar content across the board, offering materials on âAnti-immigrant rhetoric & deportation,â various âanti-racismâ resources, and a âracial and social justiceâ page claiming âcertain politiciansâ are using police officers against minority students.
âMost of us believe that every child, no matter what they look like or where they come from, deserves a safe and welcoming school where they can thrive,â it says. âBut certain politicians try to divide us by sending police to monitor and punish Black and brown students in schools that have been denied funding to even cover the basics, while ensuring well-resourced schools with mostly white students have enrichment activities, teacher training, and parent engagement.â
The website also names âthe murder of George Floydâ and âattacks on honesty in Educationâ as hardships the group is fighting against.
Education Minnesotaâs programs are part of the âFacing Inequities and Racism in Educationâ (FIRE) series, designed to âdisrupt systemic racism and racial inequities in Minnesotaâs Education system.â The union operates a âRacial Equity Advocate networkâ and offers âEquity EdCamps.â
Education Minnesota did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundationâs request for comment.
Meanwhile, more than half of 4th-grade students in Minnesota tested below the national proficiency standard in 2024. About 66% of 8th-grade students tested below proficient in math in the same year, and 72% tested below proficient in reading.
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, former vice presidential nominee, signed a law in 2024 that funded race-based teacher trainings and aimed to increase the number of âdiverseâ teachers in schools. In 2023, Walz signed a law requiring schools to offer âethnic studiesâ courses, introducing children to racially divisive topics beginning in kindergarten.
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