Education

EXCLUSIVE: Republicans Demand Answers About Activists Appointed To Department Of Education Council

(Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Michael Ginsberg Congressional Correspondent
Font Size:

Republicans in the House of Representatives are questioning the appointment of several left-wing activists to an advisory council within the Department of Education (DOE).

The Department of Education announced the creation of the National Parents and Families Engagement Council in early June. The council, intended by the DOE “to facilitate strong and effective relationships between schools and parents, families and caregivers,” includes members of groups that defended a letter urging the Department of Justice to open counter-terrorism investigations against individuals who protested at school board meetings.

Several conservative groups are currently suing the DOE over the council’s composition, alleging that it violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The House Republicans, led by Florida Rep. Scott Franklin, echo those concerns. (RELATED: US Education Secretary Allegedly Solicited Letter From The National School Boards Association Comparing Parents To Domestic Terrorists)

“Rather than making a good faith attempt to effectively address legitimate concerns, the ED invited organizations to join the Council that do not reflect the majority of frustrated parents who have appeared before school board meetings across the country,” the 18 Republicans write in a letter to Cardona, obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller.

Read the letter here:

Letter to Secretary Cardona RE NPFEC by Michael Ginsberg on Scribd

The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that covered committees maintain ideological balance. A Caller review of the organizations listed by the Council found that no groups advocated for school choice or opposed the use of critical race theory-inspired curricula. In contrast, at least three groups support race- and ideologically-based curricula. One of those groups, the League of United Latin American Citizens, has advocated for a “freeze” of immigration enforcement practices.

The Department of Education did not immediately respond to the Caller’s request for comment on the matter.

“The Biden administration’s hand-selection of ideologically friendly organizations to the National Parents and Families Engagement Council shows a clear disdain for the millions of parents across our country who are legitimately concerned about the education of their children,” Franklin said in a statement to the Caller. “The NFPEC is nothing more than an attempt by the Department of Education to divert attention away from the Biden administration’s systemic failures in education policy. Parents across America who challenge the status quo also deserve a voice. The Department of Education has an obligation to provide answers on their selection process.”