Minnesota teacher union head snags the February Millstone of the Month award for ‘ICE Out Day’
USPIE’s Michigan PIE President and Board Member: ‘Teacher unions claim to support the education of children, yet they encourage teachers to be absent from school to go protest’
The head of a Minnesota teachers’ union is the February 2026 recipient of United States Parents Involved in Education’s (USPIE) Millstone of the Month award, given to the person involved in government schools who has taken steps to funnel wokeness and other harmful pedagogies into America’s classrooms.
Rachel Falkowski, the president of the Plymouth, Minnesota-based Wayzata Education Association, netted the dubious honor for her union’s political call for “ICE Out Day,” to protest federal immigration enforcement.
Teacher unions claim to support the education of children, yet they encourage teachers to be absent from school to go protest.
In an email to their members, they advise teachers to take a personal day and wear blue, citing their First Amendment rights. Never mind their employment obligations. Never mind their obligation to teach children to read, write, and do math. Never mind that law-enforcing ICE agents are there to remove dangerous criminals from their community.
The Wayzata teachers’ union sent out an email asking for people to observe “ICE Out Day,” according to an American Experiment article.
“While the union stops short of explicitly endorsing an illegal work stoppage — acknowledging that Minnesota law prohibits solidarity strikes by public employees — it nonetheless encourages political participation and symbolic protest under the banner of the school community,” the article said, adding that the action raises several problems.
“First, the email blurs the line between education and partisan activism. Immigration enforcement is a contentious national political issue, governed by federal law and debated vigorously in Congress and the electorate.
“Second, the union’s message leverages the authority and trust of educators to advance a political narrative. When unions encourage symbolic acts like coordinated clothing colors to signal “solidarity” on a political issue, they risk turning schools into arenas of political signaling rather than neutral places of learning.
“Third, the email highlights a deeper contradiction. On the one hand, the union admits that participating in a strike would be illegal under state law. On the other hand, it goes out of its way to promote alternative forms of protest, including wearing specific colors to make a political statement during the school day.
“Finally, there is a basic reality the email avoids: Immigration enforcement exists because laws exist. One can argue for changes to those laws through the democratic process, but encouraging public employees to symbolically oppose lawful federal agencies sends the wrong message to students.”
The Wayzata Education Association puts children at risk to chase a political agenda. They’re mimicking the radical activism of the national teacher unions. Shame on them.
To hear from USPIE’s Founder and President, Sheri Few, tune in to the latest episode of USPIE’s podcast, “Unmasking Government Schools with Sheri Few,” on Tuesday, Feb. 3, where Few is joined by special guest Khush Brar, a Lynden, Washington, School Board member who has worked directly with Washington’s education system. Brar brings firsthand insight into how decisions made by state agencies and school boards affect students, families, and parental rights — particularly as it relates to gender ideology and athletics in public schools. Listen to “Unmasking Government Schools with Sheri Few” on YouTube, Facebook, Spotify and X.
USPIE’s powerful documentary, “Truth & Lies in American Education,” addresses some of the most glaring issues in the American education system and helps parents experience a paradigm shift in how they think about education and the role of their local schools. “Truth & Lies in American Education” is available for streaming on SalemNOW, as well available on DVD