Exclusive: Biden admin conspired with teachers union-tied orgs to shape far-left parents council, docs reveal

Newly released emails show that the Department of Education under the Biden administration worked in 2022 to create what critics describe as a quiet, carefully controlled parent advisory council that could influence federal education policy.

The department announced the creation of the National Parents and Families Engagement Council, presenting it publicly as a collaboration meant to bring together parents, educators, school leaders and communities to help students recover academically and socially after the pandemic. Internally, however, emails indicate the council was built by selecting specific advocacy groups to participate.

According to documents obtained by Defending Education and shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation, department officials contacted organizations whose views aligned with the administration’s priorities and invited them to help shape the council’s goals. Critics say the group did not include any conservative or right-leaning parent organizations.

In materials sent to potential members, the department described the council as a way to “listen, learn and engage families” and to ensure parents played a role in discussions about how students were recovering from pandemic disruptions. Organizations invited to participate were asked to review the proposal and nominate a parent representative to sit on the council.

Many of the invited participants were large national advocacy organizations rather than independent parent groups. They included the American Federation of Teachers, the National Action Network founded by Al Sharpton, the NAACP, the LGBTQ support organization PFLAG and the Latino advocacy group Unidos.

Some of the groups responded to the invitation by urging the department to broaden representation within the council. In one email obtained by Defending Education, the National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement recommended that membership reflect a wide range of backgrounds, including differences in geography, race, language, immigration status and political perspectives.

The same organization also suggested that the council could serve as a way for participating groups to share their educational resources directly with schools and families.

Other organizations raised similar points. United Parent Leaders Action Network wrote that the council should reflect the experiences of families often excluded from education policy discussions, including Black and Latino parents, immigrant families and those whose primary language is not English. The group emphasized the importance of cultural competence and policies focused on equity and inclusion in education.

Additional emails show the National Parent-Teacher Association asking whether the department would provide translation and interpretation services for council participants. The advocacy group Girls Inc. proposed several issues the council could address, including school discipline policies, the presence of police in schools and expanding opportunities for girls and other underrepresented groups in career pathways.

One organization also objected to the repeated use of the term “parents” in the council’s documents, arguing that the language should be expanded to include “caregivers.” Later drafts appear to reflect that change.

The American Federation of Teachers not only accepted the invitation but also recommended additional groups to join the council. Among them was Red Wine and Blue, an organization that promotes anti-racism initiatives and other progressive advocacy campaigns. Financial records show that the teachers union provided more than $1 million to that organization between 2015 and 2025 and also funded several other groups that were part of the council.

In a later email, Department of Education officials clarified that the council would not be classified as a Federal Advisory Committee. Because of that designation, the group would not formally provide advice or recommendations on federal policy in the way official advisory bodies do.

The council became controversial shortly after its formation. Critics pointed to earlier actions by the Biden administration involving parents who spoke at school board meetings about reopening schools, diversity programs and transgender policies.

Ian Prior, a senior advisor at America First Legal, said the council was created as a political response to those controversies. He argued the administration assembled the group with ideological allies to promote policies critics viewed as hostile to parental involvement.

Legal challenges soon followed. Defending Education, America First Legal and the group Fight for Schools and Families filed a lawsuit claiming the council violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act. That law requires federal advisory bodies to represent a balanced range of viewpoints and operate with a level of public transparency.

Less than six months after it was announced, the Department of Education shut down the council as the legal dispute unfolded. Defending Education described the body as partisan and accused the administration of creating it primarily for public relations purposes.

The organization later filed another lawsuit in 2025 seeking internal records about the council after it said the department failed to respond to multiple public records requests.

Nicole Neily, president of Defending Education, said the documents show the administration selected supportive organizations in order to present the appearance of broad parental input while limiting opposing perspectives. She contrasted those actions with what she described as the current administration’s approach under President Trump, saying it places greater emphasis on engaging parents directly in education policy discussions.

Original Source