Charlotte Teacher Calls Parents Who Want Schools to Open ‘White Supremacists’

All parents want to believe that when they drop their children off at school, they’re putting them in the care of trustworthy adults who strive to do what’s best for students. Anyone who chooses to delegate the education of their children to a school system has the right to expect that teachers and school administrators work, not just in the child’s best interest, but to respect and to work cooperatively with the parents of the children they serve.

Unfortunately, the teachers who align themselves with the North Carolina Association of Education (NCAE) teachers ‘union’ have not only put their political interests themselves before the children they teach, these teachers have now declared war on North Carolina public school families.

A prime example is Charlotte-Mecklenburg elementry-school teacher Justin Parmenter who sits on NCAE’s 2020–2021 NCAE Board of Directors. Parmenter has made no secret of his alliance with NCAE or his intention to indoctrinate his students:

Parmenter also makes no secret of his attempts to shame parents who want their children in school:

Parmenter didn’t stop there, however. As his tweet-rant progressed, he gave a little better insight into why he decided to openly shame the parents of his students:

NCAE’s “Values Mission and Vision” page of their website states admirable goals that seem natural for teachers to align themselves with. They claim to “value partnerships with parents, families and communities … because they are essential to quality public education and student success.”

Additionally, their mission statement’s first priority assures prospective members and/or concerned parents that they “value equal access to a quality public education that is adequately and equitably funded.”

It’s no wonder then that parents are up in arms about one of the organization’s ambassadors was found on social media actively attacking the parents of kids in his school for wanting the kids to actually go to school:

The unfortunate reality that Parmenter seems to overlook is that studies have shown that children of color, especially those who belong to low-income families, are disproportionately negatively affected by school closures.

Just days before Parmenter’s tweet, on Dec. 8, CNBC reported on the “long-term impact” that the pandemic related decreased access to schools is having on students of color’s health and earning potential. The report showed that school closures have caused an “exacerbation of achievement gaps, as well as a hit to earnings power.”

Either Parmenter is a shameless race-baiting hack or he’s simply out of touch with the reality of the lives of the families he serves. But is either of those scenarios an excuse for his calling parents ‘racist’ for wanting in-person learning?

Parmenter used his platform as a Charlotte-Mecklenburg teacher to publicly castigate good-intentioned parents — taking aim at their desire to continue their children’s education in the most effective manner possible, claiming they were willing to sacrifice people of color to maintain perks of “white privilege.”

North Carolina parents have to ask themselves if, under any conditions, a teacher who acts the way Parmenter has, and an NCAE that features him in a place of power, is something they want to let go unchecked. Parmenter, like other fringe activists, accuse those who reject their far-left dogma of being a ‘racist’ or a ‘white supremacist.’

But in this situation, as in so many, there’s a third option: you could value the life of every child and disagree with his wildly inaccurate conclusion.

Yes, it would probably be easier on some teachers’ workday if parents did exactly what they were told, but let us not forget that it’s not Parmenter who will help your children with homework if this closure causes them to fall behind in years to come. He won’t stand by the mailbox wringing his hands, waiting on college acceptance letters, and he won’t spend any late nights worrying “what-if” your child doesn’t reach their full potential. Perhaps the self-described “amateur father” should leave the parenting to the professionals and stick to teaching if he ever wants to do so again.