U.S. Dept. of Education Teams up with Extremist Org to Target Teachers

The U.S. Department of Education came out of the closet today! No longer are they an institution that exists to serve and protect students and teachers, but instead have gone full MAGA and handed the keys to Moms for Liberty, the same extremist organization that’s been trying (and failing) to hijack school boards in Alaska and across the country.

This week, the department unveiled its brand-new “End DEI” portal, a federally sanctioned tattletale hotline that gives lunatics a direct line to sic federal investigators on teachers who dare to acknowledge that racism exists, that LGBTQ students exist, or that public schools should serve all kids.

Oh, and don’t worry about being accurate—whether it’s a real complaint or a completely fabricated lie from an extremist's flapping trap, the government is more than happy to waste time and resources chasing down whatever faux outrage du jour lands in their inbox.

For Moms for Liberty, this is all a wet dream come true. Just imagine! You're the co-founder of a far-right organization whose mission is to ban books, spread anti-LGBTQ+ lies and conspiracy theories, and baselessly frame teachers as pedophiles, and then the Department of Education comes along and quotes you in its press release declaring open season on teachers! Yes, yes—the very same Moms for Liberty that threatens and lies about teachers and school board members is now calling the shots at the federal level. It's all very exciting. Or, it will be soon.

To be clear, and if you did not know, while it may masquerade as one, Moms for Liberty is the furthest thing from a "parents' rights" group that you could imagine. Fueled by dark money and backed by billionaire bros, it serves only as an extension of the Republican party and Heritage Foundation, carrying out their marching orders to wage a top-down war on public education.

Here in Alaska, the extremist organization set up its Anchorage chapter last year only to see both of their endorsed school board candidates, as well as their supposed political movement, summarily smacked down at the ballot box. Most Anchorage parents, you see, aren't interested in extremist conspiracy theories about “rogue sex ed” or unhinged rants about how schools are “indoctrinating” kids by acknowledging different perspectives. And they certainly don't appreciate foul-mouthed lying cult members calling little Johnnie's teachers pedophiles and groomers.

Important to note is that when democracy doesn’t work in an extremist's favor, they just find another way to impose their agenda. And that’s exactly what’s happening here. It's the perfect way for them to achieve their goals without having to pass laws or win elections. Instead of going through the legislative process (which comes with pesky things like public debate and accountability), they’re using the full weight of the federal government to create a chilling effect on teachers that will force them to self-censor out of fear.

If you’re angry about teachers being targeted, I'm glad. If you're wondering what can be done in the long term, well, I'm still wargaming that out—but here are some initial thoughts.

First, call this deplorable action of targeting teachers what it is—a full-throated top-down attack on public education.

Second, quit letting extremists frame the narrative. They love pretending they're the underdogs fighting against "woke indoctrination" when they're literally the ones trying to erase entire marginalized communities from classrooms.

Third, keep voting against these assholes. Moms for Liberty couldn't win over Anchorage voters last year, but they aren't going to stop trying to backdoor their agenda into the Anchorage School District. Their biggest weakness is still democracy.

And most importantly, don’t let them scare educators into silence. Because that’s what these animals want—to create a culture of fear, where teachers are too afraid to tell the truth, do their jobs, and support every student. Social media and testifying at school board meetings are great ways to express support for those who dedicate themselves to educating the next generation of Alaska's workforce.

At the end of the day, this is what extremists do when they can’t win in broad daylight—they slink into the shadows and weaponize bureaucracy. They don’t want debate, discussion, or democracy; they want submission. But it's prudent to remember that public education doesn’t belong to them. It belongs to the communities that build it, the teachers who sustain it, and the students who deserve it. And no matter how many targeted harassment hotlines they roll out, they can’t erase the reality that a majority of Americans reject their manufactured moral panic.