Harris speech to teachers union draws concerns from some parents, teachers

(TND) — Vice President Kamala Harris' speech to one of the largest teachers unions in the country has raised some concerns for parents and advocacy groups skeptical of what public education might look like in a potential Harris administration.

Harris spoke in front of the American Federation of Teachers in Houston on Thursday, one of the first major labor groups to endorse her, where she railed against GOP-led efforts to restrict access to books and discussions of race and gender in classrooms. She also attacked former President Donald Trump in her speech.

She praised the union's leader, Randi Weingarten, who has been a controversial figure in the wake of COVID-induced shutdowns of schools during the pandemic and the learning loss that has plagued the nation's youth since then.

"There's a lot of problems I think, for parents and for the public when they hear any candidate this committed to talking about labor, their support for labor, their support for unions, and then using an event like this as a stump speech, when what they see is plummeting enrollment in the public school system, unprecedented learning loss, school choice on the ascendancy,"Parents Defending Education director of outreach Erika Sanzi said. "She really could have spoken to concerns that families and parents have and instead she gave her usual stump speech. And to me it's just a sign that there's a lot of red flags with her when it comes to K-12 education."