Christie Escalates Feud With Teacher's Union

They're really going to wish he were dead now. Talk about lobbing a nuclear salvo their way.

A day ahead of school budget elections statewide, Gov. Chris Christie today escalated his war of words with the state teachers' union, accusing union representatives of "using the students like drug mules" to carry information about whether their parents planned to vote.

Christie cited what he called a "mandatory" homework assignment instructing children in one district to interview their parents about whether and why they would vote tomorrow. "These are the typical kind of scare tactics that they involve themselves in," Christie said about the 200,000-member New Jersey Education Association, which has been critical of his proposed $820 million cut in school aid. "Scaring students in the classroom, scaring parents with the notes home in the bookbags, and the mandatory 'Project Democracy Homework' asking your parents about what they're going to do in the school board election, and reporting back to your teachers union representatives, using the students like drug mules to carry information back to the classroom, is reprehensible."

Steve Wollmer, a spokesman for the NJEA, declined to comment on the specific situation cited by the governor but said union leaders "don't think it's appropriate for teachers to engage in politics in the classroom. They know that. This issue comes up every now and then, but for the governor to suggest that this is some sort of statewide problem is, once again, hyperbole."

The notion that teachers don't get political is absurd. Walk into any public school in this state this week and you'll see plenty of Earth Day nonsense plastered all over. That's political, plain and simple.

Christie also said some teachers "have decided that even our families are not out of bounds." He said his "nieces and nephews who go to public school have been told by their teachers that the governor, your uncle, is an awful person." Christie's four children go to private school.

"This is the stuff that's going on in classrooms across New Jersey, at the urging and coordination of the bullies across the street," Christie said. "This conduct is just unacceptable. It's beyond the pale, and they are completely out of touch."

Finally we have a politician will to stand up to these bullies. Bravo, Governor. Bravo.

Instapundit links. Thanks!