FIRST ON FOX: A national parents group grades both Vice President Harris and Gov. Tim Walz with an F on school choice.
As the DNC continues this week, the Invest in Education Coalition announced grades for the Democratic ticket, slamming each of their education track records. The organization advocates school choice.
The group said its decision comes from "a well-documented record of siding with the teachers’ unions and opposing expansion of parental choice in K-12 education."
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The National Education Association (NEA), the largest teachers union in the country, has gone on record to grade Vice President Harris with an A. The NEA has over 2 million active members.
This A rating from the NEA comes on the heels of Harris' track record in the United States Senate and as California Attorney General. According to the Invest in Education Coalition Harris criticized Donald Trump's school choice advocacy on the campaign trail in 2016.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the American Federation of Teachers' 88th National Convention July 25, 2024, in Houston. (Montinique Monroe/Getty Images)
In 2017, while serving in the Senate, Harris opposed a bill's amendment that promoted school choice for low-income families. The bill was championed by President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
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"Members of Congress who have been advocates for expanding school choice and federal policy that supports giving more control to parents, not government, to determine the best educational option for their children, meet the ‘A’ grade criteria," the Invest in Education Coalition told Fox News Digital of its grading system.
Members of Congress who have been advocates for expanding school choice and federal policy that supports giving more control to parents, not government, to determine the best educational option for their children, meet the ‘A’ grade criteria
— Invest in Education Coalition
The Invest in Education Coalition didn't stop at giving just Harris a failing grade. It included her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in its condemnation. Walz was a high school teacher for much of his career before politics.
The parents group cites EdChoice, which said Walz "does not have a history of supporting educational choice in Minnesota. ... He also has a history of declining meetings with educational choice parent advocates."
The last major party candidate who was a K-12 teacher was Lyndon B. Johnson.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, attends a rally to kick off their campaign at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. 6, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
"Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have opposed empowering parents and giving children the opportunity to get the education of their choice and has defended the educational status quo, which has hurt students across the country," said Anthony J. de Nicola, chairman of the Invest in Education Coalition.
"We need strong leaders who will fight to expand school choice so that every child, regardless of their ZIP code, has a chance at a great education. Instead, Harris and Walz are bankrolled by the teachers unions and are prioritizing special interests over parents and their children," de Nicola added.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers the keynote speech at the American Federation of Teachers' 88th National Convention in Houston July 25, 2024. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
School choice bills have popped up in state legislatures nationwide in recent years, especially following COVID-related public school lockdowns. The National Conference on State Legislatures reported that all 50 states considered bills on the subject in 2023.
According to the Invest in Education Coalition, its mission is "simply put, parents should decide where their child’s education dollars are spent."
If Harris and Walz want to improve their failing grades, the Coalition told Fox News Digital, they "would need to put an end to their well-documented track record in opposing school choice and start prioritizing parents and students instead of pushing the agenda of the teachers’ unions and special interest groups."
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The Harris-Walz campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.