By Biden didn’t just label parents interested in what was happening in their children’s schools as terrorists, he also tried to use education appointments to win favors from special interests. Newly obtained emails from 2022 indicate the U.S. Department of Education under the Biden administration worked closely with teachers’ unions and ideologically aligned advocacy groups to shape a national parent advisory council, according to documents released by the nonprofit Parents Defending Education.
The body, known as the National Parents and Families Engagement Council, was publicly described by the department as a collaborative effort “between parents and families, educators, district leaders, and entire school communities to support student success.” Its stated purpose was to gather input on student recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, including academic, social, and emotional needs, writes The Daily Caller, but it ended up being a clearing house for leftwing activism in the classroom.
Internal correspondence—obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests after a 2025 lawsuit alleging delays in disclosure—paints a more selective process of who was in and who was out. According to the documents, invitations were extended to organizations aligned with leftwing priorities on race, gender, and immigration, while no conservative or right-leaning parent groups were included.
Among those contacted were the American Federation of Teachers, the National Action Network founded by Al Sharpton, the NAACP, PFLAG, and Unidos, a Latino advocacy organization.
Emails show invitees actively shaping the council’s direction. The National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement urged the department to ensure the council “clearly articulate how the Council membership will provide diverse, representative voices of families,” recommending representation across categories including gender (including fatherhood), race and ethnicity, language and immigration background, political diversity, geography, and family structure.
The group also suggested the council could serve as a vehicle to distribute its resources directly to schools and families.
Other organizations pressed for a stronger focus on equity and representation. United Parent Leaders Action Network emphasized inclusion of underrepresented communities, including Black and Brown parents and non-English-speaking families, while highlighting “cultural competence” and “equity, diversity, and inclusion in education.” The National Parent-Teacher Association raised questions about translation and interpretation services, and Girls Inc. proposed agenda items including disciplinary equity, police presence in schools, and expanded opportunities for girls and other underrepresented groups.
One organization objected to the use of the term “parents,” arguing it was insufficiently inclusive and recommending “caregiver”—a shift later reflected in department materials.
The American Federation of Teachers not only accepted its invitation but also recommended additional participants, including Red Wine and Blue, an organization focused on anti-racism initiatives, children’s literature, and abortion advocacy. Records show the AFT provided more than $1 million in funding to Red Wine and Blue between 2015 and 2025, as well as financial support to other participating groups such as the National Action Network and Unidos.
Subsequent department communications clarified the council’s limited formal role, stating it was “not a Federal Advisory Committee and therefore, does not have access to information and advice on a broad range of issues affecting federal policies and programs.”
The effort emerged amid heightened tensions over parental activism in education, following the 2021 National School Boards Association letter that drew federal attention to protests at school board meetings.
“The Biden Administration weaponized the Department of Justice and FBI to target parents speaking at school board meetings in favor of opening schools and against DEI and transgender policies,” said Ian Prior, senior advisor at America First Legal. “In a transparently cynical attempt to manage the fallout, the Administration violated federal law and set up its phony ‘National Parents and Families Council’ stocked with leftist allies to promote a radical, anti-parent agenda. America First Legal is proud to have partnered with other pro-parent organizations to sue the Biden Administration, forcing it to back down and disband its unlawful, astroturf group.”
The council lasted less than six months. It was disbanded in 2022 following a lawsuit filed by Parents Defending Education, America First Legal, and Fight for Schools and Families, which alleged violations of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, including requirements for viewpoint balance and transparency.
“This public records request – which we received only after suing the federal government following a years-long delay – reveals that the Biden administration hand-picked a set of allies and yes-men to create a Potemkin village to feign that they cared about the opinions of parents and families,” said Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education. “Clearly, this council was nothing more than a smokescreen meant to distract from their NSBA scandal when Attorney General Merrick Garland deployed the FBI against American citizens using their First Amendment rights. The Trump administration’s genuine efforts to engage parents and students stands in stark relief to the Biden administration’s surrender to progressive activists, and we are proud to have played a small part in stopping their radical agenda.”
It’s not the only time that Biden tried to use the school system to help Democrats win elections, either. A 2024 investigation into the Bureau of Indian Education revealed that one such plot involved using school children to register Democrats to vote. A federal network of 183 elementary and secondary schools spread across 64 Indian reservations in 23 states, leaders at the Department of the Interior devised a plan to help use the schools to help push elections towards one party.
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