BRIAN: SCHOOLS IN THE SPOTLIGHT.
JOINING US NOW, PANTERS --
PARENTS DEFENDING EDUCATION
PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER NICOLE
NEILY.
NICOLE, THANKS FOR BEING WITH
US.
I GOT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THIS,
THIS IS BIG, THE LARGEST
TEACHER’S UNION IN AMERICA, THE
NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION,
HAS A VIDEO AD SUGGESTING NEW
JERSEY PARENTS WHO BATTLE SCHOOL
BOARDS ARE EXTREMISTS WHO FIGHT
TO SCORE POLITICAL POINTS.
AT THIS POINT IN ALL THE WORK
THAT YOU’RE DOING, NICOLE, HOW
TIRED ARE YOU GETTING OF BEING
CALLED AN EXTREMIST FOR SIMPLY
USING YOUR VOICE?
I MEAN, IS THAT THE BEST THEY
CAN COME UP WITH BECAUSE LET’S
TAKE A STEP BACK AND THINK WHO
IS ACTUALLY EXTREME?
FOR STARTERS, 99.9% OF TEACHER’S
UNION DONATION GOES TO DEMOCRATS
AND THEY REGULARLY ADVOCATE FOR
POLICIES THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO
WITH EDUCATION.
ABORTION AND HEAD CARE FOR ALL
AND THINGS LIKE SUPPORTING
PALESTINE AND NOTHING TO DO WITH
EDUCATING OUR STUDENTS.
NEA VOTED TO MAKE AN ENEMIES
LIST OF PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
THAT OPPOSE RADICAL GENDER
IDEOLOGY AND LAST SUMMER THEY
DID THE SAME THING AND MADE A
LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT
OPPOSED CRITICAL RACE THEORY IN
SCHOOLS AND CARING ABOUT
CHILDREN IS THEIR ABSOLUTE LAST
PRIORITY AND THEY’RE ON THE
DEFENSE AND SCARED BECAUSE
PEOPLE ARE MAD AND KNOW WHAT THE
UNIONS ARE UP TO.
BRIAN: THEY WANT TO MAKE THEIR
VOICE HEARD AND WE’RE A COUNTRY
THAT MAKES THEIR VOICE HEARD
WHEN YOU HAVE A OPINION.
HERE’S PARENT OUTRAGE.
THIS IS THE HEAD OF THE -- WHAT
A SCHOOL BOARD SAID ABOUT THE
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
LISTEN TO THIS.
>> THE WORD GOD IN THE TEXT OF
THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IS
CAPITALIZED AND IT’S CLEARLY
REFERRED TO THE JUDIAH CHRISTIAN
GOD AND THEREFORE IT MAKES THE
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE A
NON-INCLUSIONARY ACT.
BRIAN: SO THAT’S A FARGO SCHOOL
BOARD MEETING.
I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO WHAT A
PARENT WHO’S TRYING TO
RE-INSTATE THE PLEDGE HAD TO SAY
ABOUT IT.
>> MAKING SOME OF THE COMMENTS
ABOUT LIBERTY AND JUSTICE AND
HOW NOT EVERYBODY GETS LIBERTY
AND JUSTICE, THAT IS
PERPETUATING CRITICAL RACE
THEORY, WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW
IN NORTH DAKOTA SO HOW CAN THEY
GO AGAINST BOARD POLICY CITED AT
BOARD MEETINGS AND DOESN’T GO
AGAINST BOARD POLICY TO RECITE
IT IN SCHOOLS?
THAT DOESN’T EVEN MAKE SENSE.
BRIAN: NICOLE, THIS IS WHY
PARENTS GO TO SCHOOL BOARD
MEETINGS.
THEY’RE NOT EXTREMISTS, BUT
THEY’VE GOT POSITIONS ON THESE
ISSUES AND THEY DESPERATELY WANT
THEIR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS TO AT
LEAST LISTEN, NICOLE.
HOW DO YOU REACT TO WHAT YOU’RE
SEEING HERE IN FARGO AND MORE
BROADLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY?
>> I MEAN, IF IT CAN HAPPEN IN
RED STATE NORTH DAKOTA, IT CAN
HAPPEN ANYWHERE.
WE ENCOURAGE PARENTS TO SHOW UP
AND LISTEN AND THE PRICE OF
LIBERTY IS ETERNAL INDIVIDUAL
LENS.
IN FARGO -- VIGILANCE.
IN FARGO, THE BOARD WALKED BACK
THEIR POLICY AND SO NOW THE
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE HAS BEEN
RE-INSTATED AND THAT SHOWS THE
POWER OF PARENTS.
PEOPLE SHOW UP, THEY SPEAK UP,
AND THE BOARDS ARE RECEPTIVE,
AND THOSE ARE NOT THINGS YOU’LL
HEAR ON CNN OR MSNBC BUT PEOPLE
ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE FROM
"COAST-TO-COAST".
JUST RECENTLY, THE WYOMING
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CANCELED
WITH PANORAMIC EDUCATION THAT’S
RELATED TO MERRICK GARLAND’S
SON-IN-LAW AND PEOPLE SPOKE UP
ABOUT IT.
WE EOURAGE PEOPLE TO SPEAK UP
BECAUSE YOU CAN AND WILL MAKE A
DIFFERENCE.
BRIAN: THAT’S WHAT I WANTED TO
ASK YOU ABOUT, YOU GOT A LOT OF
PARENT WHO IS HAVE BEEN WATCHING
WHAT’S GOING ON IN AMERICA OVER
THE PAST YEAR, PAST TWO YEARS
AND THEY’RE INSPIRED BY THE
PUSHBACK OF PARENTS TAKING THE
INITIATIVE.
WE’VE GOT A SCHOOL YEAR COMING,
AND YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW SOME OF
THE KINDS OF ISSUES ARE GOING TO
RISE TO THE TOP.
PARENTS WILL SEE THINGS THAT
THEY DON’T LIKE.
HOW DO YOU COUNSEL PARENTS THAT
WANT TO GET INVOLVED BUT STILL
MIGHT FEEL LIKE I DON’T WANT TO
BE CALLED AN EXTREMIST AND DON’T
WANT TO BE PUT ON AN ENEMY’S
LIST.
WHAT’S YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT TO
THEM?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
MY COWORKERS ARE E-MAILS AND ON
THE PHONE WITH PARENTS EVERY DAY
TALKING ABOUT THE ISSUES AND SO
MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE ENGAGED IN
EDUCATION RIGHT NOW ARE
ACCIDENTAL ACTIVISTS AND PEOPLE
THAT HAD NO IDEA AND HAD NO
PROBLEM GOING INTO SCHOOL TWO
YEARS AGO BEFORE COVID AND SAW
WHAT WAS REALLY TAKING PLACE.
SO WE HAVE RESOURCES ON OUR
WEBSITE DEFENDINGED.ORG AND WALK
PEOPLE THROUGH KNOWING WHAT YOUR
RIGHTS ARE AND YOU KNOW WHERE
THE RED LINES ARE AND IF AND
WHEN THE LINES ARE CROSSED
PEOPLE SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT IT.
WE HAVE GUIDES ON HOW TO GET
INVOLVED AND QUESTIONS TO ASK
YOUR SCHOOL BOARD AND YOUR
TEACHER.
HOW TO FILE A PUBLIC RECORDS
REQUEST AND KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
AND ONCE PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY
CAN AND SHOULD STAND UP, THEY
WILL.
COURAGE IS CONTAGIOUS.
BRIAN: SOME OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT ACCIDENTAL ACTIVIST
THAT AMERICA HAS EVER HAD.