Report: Teacher's union gives nearly 2M to org that trains for May Day protests

An education group has uncovered that teacher's union the National Education Association has given nearly two million dollars in donations since 2020 to an organization that trains for May Day school "walk-in" protests, as well as demands agendas such as "tax the rich" and the removal of ICE. Defending Education – the organization that released the report – director of research Rhyen Staley told The Center Square that "teachers unions turning children into far-left political pawns is a betrayal of the public trust." "Gone are the days of these public sector unions simply fighting for better wages, insurance, and working conditions," Staley said. "They are leftwing political activist organizations who benefit fiscally from taxpayer dollars." Staley made the point that "roughly 70% of American students are not proficient in reading and math, yet the teachers unions are using their influence and positions of power and authority to train children to protest and agitate for far-left causes." "This reinforces that the unions' priorities are about advancing a radical political agenda, not the education of America's children," Staley said. The National Education Association has not yet responded to The Center Square's request for comment. Defending Education's report revealed that "a May Day 2026 Host Toolkit includes training information for a 'coordinated day of action' that demands taxing the rich, removal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and 'expanding democracy.'" The toolkit additionally "promotes tactics such as a school 'walk-in' where participants enter a building to 'protest harmful school conditions and policies.'" Defending Education's report showed that the National Education Association (NEA) has provided "$1,735,000 in funding to one of the organizations behind the training efforts" since 2020. Staley told The Center Square "it should be deeply concerning that one of the suggested tactics is to enter schools to protest against policies they don't like." "Putting children's education and safety at risk for political gain is unethical and immoral," Staley said. "This is yet another example of how activists and teachers unions view schools as a tool to advance their political agenda," Staley said. The May Day 2026 Host Toolkit uncovered by Defending Education states that May 1 will be a "coordinated day of action" where "tax the rich" will be demanded, along with "ICE Out" and "expand democracy, not corporate power" – the latter in the name of defending "free and fair elections, not a rigged disaster." May Day is also known as International Workers' Day and commemorates "workers and the history of labor organizing" with demonstrations as UCLA explained. The May Day toolkit uncovered by Defending Education said that "thousands of organizations across the country are calling for a day of 'No School, No Work, No Shopping' to disrupt the violent billionaire takeover of our country and to put working families first." "We are excited for you to join us in making this day a reality, and hosting an action where your neighbors can gather to make our voices heard," the toolkit said. The toolkit contains a section entitled "Hosting a Corporate Action," where it's stated that "corporate actions give us a chance to stand up to the billionaires who are directly causing us harm – and profiting from it." According to Defending Education, "actions include wide awake, or all night noise, campaigns, boycotts, and protests" and "corporate targets" for the actions include Hilton Hotels, Chevron & Citgo, and Enterprise Car Rentals. The toolkit's complaints against Hilton and Enterprise spring from both organizations allowing ICE officers to use their services. Meanwhile, the toolkit claims that Chevron and Citgo have played a "critical role in supporting Israel's bombardment of Gaza and ongoing displacement of Palestinians." The toolkit provides a link to a map of Chevron stations directly owned by the company in order to take action.