Teachers’ union blasted over tweet suggesting teachers know what students need better than parents

The country’s largest teachers’ union was chastised over the weekend for its tweet that educators know what their students need “better than anyone.”

“Educators love their students and know better than anyone what they need to learn and to thrive,” the National Education Association (NEA) tweeted on Saturday.

Criticism was sharp and immediate, including from former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

“You misspelled parents,” she tweeted wryly.

The NEA fired back at DeVos, calling her “out-of-touch,” even while subtly walking back the notion that educators know best. 

“Together, families and educators are an essential team for advocating for the resources and opportunities all students need. Out-of-touch billionaires, however, are not,” the teachers’ union tweeted. 

Fox News reports that replies to the original tweet were eventually disabled, but not until over 5,000 of them, mostly in support of DeVos and parents, had been made. 

“[DeVos] is correct,” Cory DeAngelis, senior fellow at the American Federation for Children, tweeted in support. 

“Out of touch teachers unions are claiming they know what our kids need better than us, the parents. The billionaire is right,” the LA Parents Union tweeted.

“This is absurd. Better than parents?” tweeted Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s outgoing secretary of education and Superintendent-elect of Public Schools.

“Parents know best,” Rep. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, added.

Critics say this is just the latest example teachers’ unions pitting schools against parents.

Educators may legally leave their teachers’ union and cannot be required to pay union dues as a condition of employment in the United States. For more information, visit OptOutToday.com.