Massachusetts Teachers Association approves "training" for its members on the "dangerous redefinition of antisemitism" used to "suppress teaching" about "Palestine"

Like the chicago teachers union, the MTA has been taken over by progressive caucus members who see the union as a tool for their political activism and pet projects - at the center is Merrie Najimy.

She may no longer be president, but Merrie Najimy sure seems to be running things behind the scenes at the MTA. The New Business Item she put forward at the April 2024 MTA Convention has just been voted on and approved by the MTA board.

The group she founded, the MTA rank and file for Palestine, took to instagram today to celebrate the MTA Board voting to approve training for its members to watch for the “weaponization” of claims of antisemitism among other measures.

MTA Rank and File for Palestine described this as a win for “academic freedom” and “first amendment rights.” They argue that they are being targeted for “teaching truth”. But teachers do not have the right to engage in political advocacy or indeed political indoctrination within the classroom.

In their announcement, MTA Rank and File for Palestine took aim at the Massachusetts Special Legislative Commission on Combating Antisemitism. This Substack has written about how the Commission revealed antisemitic bias within the MTA and the, to say the least, lacklustre response of MTA president Max Page.

So perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that the Board voted on measures that would make Najimy’s Rank and File for Palestine group happy.

The MTA Board voted to “provide educational trainings for MTA staff, interested members, and local leaders” on “academic freedom, and how to respond when these rights are threatened.”

These trainings, they say, will "address dishonest weaponizations of Oppresion (sic)”:

• Weaponization of CRT, accusing the framework of encouraging racism against white people

• “The invention of “Critical social justice ideology (CSJ)”, a new umbrella term used to fight efforts to include diverse perspectives in educational curricula”

• “The dangerous redefinition of “antisemitism”, where criticism of the state of Israel and the political ideology of Zionism are weaponized to suppress teaching and learning about Palestine.”

Compare and contrast with Najimy’s NBI of April 2024 -

Finally, the MTA has committed to opposing any legislation which would mandate adopting “curricula produced by organizations that seek to eliminate a diversity of perspectives.”

What it really means is the MTA is aligning itself with the campaign to drop the Anti-Defamation League from schools.

Not a surprise given that Merrie Najimy is actively involved in the campaign and the MTA Rank and File for Palestine signed onto the Drop the ADL from schools open letter.

And who would carry out these trainings on the “weaponizing” of antisemitism? Well perhaps Najimy’s other organization, the The Institute for the Understanding of Anti-Palestinian Racism, might get involved.

Here is a webinar in which Najimy and Nora Lester Murad from the DropADLfromSchools campaign talk about how the “weaponization” of antisemitism contributes to Anti-Palestinian Racism

The MTA, like UTLA and the Chicago Teachers Union, has been taken over by “progressive” activists.

Najimy, former president of the MTA, was a member of the “Educators for a Democratic Union” progressive caucus within the MTA. Max Page, her VP and now current president, was also a member. Debra Mccarthy, current VP, was also in the EDU.

The EDU states quite clearly its goal to change the MTA “into an activist, social justice union.”

The EDU platform states: “Inspired by educators around the country, the foundation of our platform is to advance the struggle for racial, social, and economic justice.”

EDU members view education as “liberatory” and :

“pledge to address economic injustice, racism and oppression in our bargaining and all that we do; we will support politicians only to the extent that they stand with us in undoing decades if not centuries of economic and racial injustice and pledge to recruit, welcome, and support educators of color in our schools and in MTA’s leadership. We will work to dismantle structures of oppression within our union as well as other institutions.”

Page and Mccarthy’s platform emphasized the following:

• “Challenges economic, gender, and racial injustice in our workplaces and communities, grounded in the understanding that fights for justice are intertwined and inseparable.

• Recognizes climate change as an existential crisis, works with our students and coalitions for climate justice, and supports educators who teach about the climate emergency and locals that bargain for mitigation measures.

• Challenges members to engage in reflection and struggle around racial and economic injustice.

• Supports and defends educators’ right to develop and teach antiracist curriculum.

• Reclaims the mission of public education as a space where students and educators examine our histories, celebrate our stories, and develop creativity and critical thinking on the path to building a racially and economically just democracy.”

The MTA is the EDU - and the EDU is Merrie Najimy and Max Page. No wonder that Najimy’s New Business Items find favor with the MTA board.

Najimy, with her ties to the DroptheADL campaign and the Institute for the Understanding of Anti-Palestinian Racism, has used her influence within the MTA to shape how Israel and the Israel-Palestinian conflict can be taught in Massachusetts classrooms.

Now more than ever, K-12 public schools must commit to political neutrality from employees and academic and freedom of expression for students.