Corey Smith: When Indoctrination Masquerades as Education

New Hampshire Republicans recently pushed a bill through the state House to prohibit public schools from teaching curricula such as critical race theory, LGBTQ, and gender ideology. The bill, titled the CHARLIE Act (Countering Hate and Revolutionary Leftist Indoctrination in Education), is named after the late conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk. It was partly inspired by the discovery of race-based training materials in handouts and in recommended reading found in three NH cities, including Manchester, the largest city north of Boston. The measure has predictably caused arguments between both parties in the Granite State.

Now, some might be wondering, didn’t President Donald Trump sign an executive order in January 2025 ending indoctrination in K–12 schools, banning material that was “based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology”? Indeed, he did, but some states apparently believe kids must learn about “whiteness” and social justice, regardless of the law.

Indoctrination’s Enduring Shadow Over Education

Believe it or not, since 2020, well before Trump made his triumphant return to the Oval Office, around 44 states introduced bills to ban the instruction of ideologies such as critical race theory, 20 of which passed. But, despite the 47th president signing an executive order “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling” more than a year ago, some schools persist in pushing these fringe beliefs.

Milwaukee, for instance, appears steadfast in maintaining “Why Race Matters,” an initiative featuring a slew of materials for educators to teach anti-racist ideas, whiteness, microaggressions, critical race theory, systemic racism, and DEI. The platform even issues resources for classrooms, including a reading of Ibram X. Kendi’s Antiracist Baby for kindergarteners.

Another example: Chicago Public Schools (CPS) pushes a vast pride curriculum and appears to focus more on identity and equity than academics. The Windy City participates in “Out for Safe Schools,” a national campaign that helps educators and “district employees ‘come out’ as visible allies for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students and staff,” explains the website for CPS. “As part of the campaign, participating staff wear badges identifying themselves as allies in order to make school a safer, more welcoming place.”

Then we have Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Maryland’s largest school district. It promotes anti-racist and anti-bias ideological content for kids. In training materials just revealed to The Daily Caller, courtesy of parental rights watchdog Defending Education, one document details the “Characteristics of Anti-bias/Antiracist Curriculum,” the purpose of which is to examine “systems of power and oppression created by white supremacy” and to challenge the “Master Narrative, which is a focus on white, Eurocentric versions of history.” According to Defending Education, this curriculum was even discussed at a PTA meeting on January 20, 2026.

A list of links throughout the documents leads to resources for critical race theory and similar frameworks, such as a “Guide for Selecting Anti-bias Children’s Books.” Teachers can also find “Social Justice” books and information on “Teaching Tolerance, Teaching Hard History,” aimed at students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The “Why Race Matters” initiative also includes an array of links, many of which lead directly to the website of the nation’s largest teachers union, a known proselytizer of progressive ideologies.

Enablers

It seems impossible nowadays to discuss any issues related to public schools without mentioning a teachers union. All roads to public schools seem to eventually lead back to one of the most powerful, activist-oriented labor groups: the National Education Association (NEA). It has more than three million members spread across nearly 14,000 communities nationwide, with affiliate organizations in every state.

Last October, more than a thousand educators gathered for the Northwest Teaching for Social Justice conference, sponsored by NEA affiliates and Rethinking Schools, an educational magazine that frequently partners with the NEA in promoting ideological classroom materials. Some sessions at the conference included how to teach second graders about the evils of capitalism, “how to queer history and math,” and an exploration of the “Power Rainbow.”

Whenever the NEA isn’t involved in facilitating or advocating for anti-racist and other activist ideologies, it seemingly puts immense effort into helping to initiate legal challenges to block bills that would strip schools of the ability to teach the far-left theories. Most recently, a New Hampshire federal judge dismissed a yearlong lawsuit against the Trump administration’s directive to end DEI in public schools after the judge accepted an agreement between the National Education Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the US Department of Justice.

The NEA also tracks relevant legislation on its website, including the CHARLE Act. If it passes the NH Senate, the NEA will likely take legal action. Despite how some on the left are framing it, the bill does not ban discussing or mentioning critical race theory and gender ideology, nor does it “ban a single book from a shelf,” said House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) on the House floor after the bill passed. “It does not prevent a teacher from teaching the full, unvarnished history of this country, including, say, slavery, including the civil rights movement, including every hard truth that we want our children to learn about.” It permits schools to focus on academics while giving parents the ability to hold schools accountable for teaching anti-racist theories and other progressive ideologies.

“We used to believe in debate,” said state Rep. Matthew Coker (R-Meredith), “we used to believe bad ideas should be defeated in the open, not banned, not buried.”

“Our students deserve classrooms where they are taught to think, not what to think,” said state Rep. Loren Selig (D-Durham).

Perhaps they have a point. But where’s the line between the free exchange of ideas and brainwashing? When a massive group like the NEA is enmeshed in the public school system in every state, spending millions on legal battles while using its platform to distribute activist propaganda, it seems a little more than introducing ideas for debate. The resources and materials the union provides schools are labeled for instruction, not for discourse. Besides, how many kindergartners have healthy debates about anti-racism and gender ideology?

Corey Smith is a recovering bartender, and a freelance editor. He specializes in memoirs and novels but has a smorgasbord of experience in non-fiction works. This article was first published HERE