Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), will be joining the Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council, per a statement from DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. There are thirty people on the council, and they advise the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on issues including school security and research goals.
Mayorkas emphasized the need for academic experts to protect the country from new and emerging threats. DHS’s purpose to safeguard the American people and make them resilient to new threats is mirrored by the council’s emphasis on strategic research, innovation, career development, and collaborations.
Education officials such as Los Angeles’s Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho and Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration Executive Director Miriam Feldblum are among the other 19 appointees, which Weingarten is now a part of.
According to a DHS press release, the council will look into ways to develop employment possibilities that support a contemporary DHS workforce in addition to addressing school safety challenges.
In both 2020 and 2024, Weingarten’s American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has endorsed President Joe Biden. Weingarten has described Biden as “vigorous” and has lauded him as “the most pro-union president.”
Conservatives were outraged at the selection of Weingarten. Senator Rick Scott said she was the wrong person to give advice on school safety. An insult to parents who had to deal with school cancellations is how former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the appointment.
The Fairfax Parents Association recently acquired text messages between Weingarten and former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky regarding enforcing strict school policies. Weingarten was worried that the New York Times had published information that ran counter to what they had discussed. The CDC appeared to change its criteria after Weingarten’s complaint, enabling certain schools to keep using distance education for longer than before.