BAT Board of Directors - Statement on the Election of Donald Trump

The Badass Teachers Association, an education activist organization of over 80,000, remains undaunted in our efforts to save public education and fight for social justice for ALL communities. The election campaign was one filled with vile hatred toward immigrants, people with disabilities, Muslims, the LGBTQ community, Jews, People of Color, and women. Not only was the campaign filled with hateful rhetoric, but there have been over 1000 incidents of racist, sexist, and xenophobic bullying since the election. Some of these incidents have been in our schools and directed toward our children. At this time we call on President-elect Trump to denounce these acts of violence and intimidation being done in his name. As an organization we will continue to fight any and all language, actions, or deeds that hurt, marginalize, and oppress children and their families. We will not sit idly by and allow hatred to enter our school buildings and communities. In classrooms throughout America we will continue to teach our children to respect individuality and humanity. We will continue to teach them kindness, compassion, and to embrace justice.

Donald Trump will soon be the President. On the campaign trail he made statements about K-12 education. The statements he had made talked of directing federal funding to support for-profit schools, homeschooling, dismantling the USDOE, supporting voucher programs to private schools that discriminate, unconstitutional vouchers for parochial schools, and firing 400,000 teachers. Public education should be the great equalizer. President-elect Trump states that he will downsize the USDOE with the possibility of eliminating the Office of Civil Rights. This will have a drastic impact on IDEA enforcement, our children with disabilities, our children who live in poverty, and our minority children who have always gotten less. These are reasons we worry about his impending Presidency. We worry that in the next four years he will destroy public education and he will advance the attack on public education in communities of color.

BATs is an organization devoted to social justice and a strong, equitable public education for all children. Our purpose is to support public education as the great equalizer and for the public good. A vision of public education cannot be determined by or stay in the hands of private corporations. Public education is defined by its democratic essence. It demands having a network of institutions dedicated to service all the communities. These institutions must act independently from each other and from any type of coercion from federal or state governments, or private institutions, but in coordination so cooperation can be practiced with the goal of improvement. We oppose the attempt to privatize our public school system and the fact that the weapons of privatization have been used to attack public education in black and brown communities. Now, more than ever, it is vital for us as educators to use our voices to stand and advocate for those who have been marginalized and silenced. It is time for us to actualize the work we have done, mostly through a national online platform, and grow it as a viable living presence in each and every one of our communities.

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