Teachers’ union sues parent over public records release

August 15, 2021 carleyshaffer1 US 0

TOPSHOT - Children listen to their teacher as they sit in a classroom on the first day of the start of the school year, at the Chaptal elementary school in Paris, on September 2, 2019. - In France some 12.4 million students crossed the doors of elementary schools (6.7 million), secondary school (3.4 million) and high schools (2.3 million) on September 2, 2019. (Photo by Martin BUREAU / AFP) (Photo credit should read MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images)

TOPSHOT – Children listen to their teacher as they sit in a classroom on the first day of the start of the school year. (MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images)

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UPDATED 9:33 AM PT – Sunday, August 15, 2021

The National Education Association announced it is suing the mother of a kindergarten student after she requested information about the schools’ teaching of critical race theory. The country’s largest teachers’ union filed the suit along with a temporary restraining order with the Rhode Island Superior Court earlier this month.

Nicole Solas said this isn’t the first time she has been targeted by the group. She stressed this is a matter of public concern that is subject to public disclosure.

“Every parent has the right to request this information and every parent should. You can request the communications of NEA members with public school officials and public school employees, and you can read their emails to see exactly how they are implementing critical race theory,” said Solas.

Solas has not received the information she requested and further, the school district slapped her with a $74,000 so-called “record retrieval bill” for the information she was seeking.

I just got served with a lawsuit from the teacher union NEARI. Throwing down the gauntlet, are we? Game on. pic.twitter.com/9WSpEO14Zy

— Nicole Solas (@Nicoletta0602) August 4, 2021

Solas attorney, Jon Riches of the Goldwater Institute, said the public records laws are intended to open government up so that the public knows what the government is up to. He also pointed out they were never meant to be turned around on parents just trying to find out what their kids are learning in school.

Solas said she believes the NEA of Rhode Island is simply hiding how gender and critical race theory is being imposed on kindergarteners, and is shielding teachers from the inevitable public outrage if parents were privy to their curriculum.

Point 70 of the union’s legal complaint reads, “it is likely that any teachers who are identifiable and have engaged in discussions about things like critical race theory will then be the subject of teacher harassment by national conservative groups opposed to critical race theory.”