AFT President Criticizes Trump Executive Order Targeting Educators
Educators Respond to Executive Order from Trump Administration
WASHINGTON—The Trump administration has released a controversial executive order that has sparked reactions from various educational sectors. In response, Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), articulated her concerns regarding its implications for educators and students.
Representing a vast network of educators, Weingarten emphasized, “I have the honor of representing hundreds of thousands of educators. They are proud, patriotic Americans who work hard and believe in our country’s founding principles of justice, equality, democracy and opportunity for all of God’s children, whether white or Black, straight or gay, Native American or the Latino immigrant who just escaped tyranny.”
Weingarten highlighted the value of public schools as crucial environments for providing opportunity and dignity to all students. She criticized the executive order, stating that it misrepresents educators and hampers their ability to effectively perform their roles. “That’s who we are as educators—and it’s unfortunate the Trump administration would pretend otherwise with this executive order. It not only unfairly tarnishes teachers, it makes it harder to do our jobs,” she said.
Weingarten expressed a willingness to collaborate with any administration to support children's educational growth, requesting cooperation to equip students with necessary skills for the modern world. She lamented the order's role in fostering division, saying, “Today is a sad day because the Trump administration is doing exactly what it accuses others of: creating division and fear in classrooms across America.”
The AFT represents a diverse group of professionals, including 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals, higher education faculty, professional staff, government employees, nurses, healthcare workers, and early childhood educators.
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