Georgia Teachers Union Head Equates Atlanta’s Stellar School Choice Rank to Chicago’s Murder Rate
Verdaillia Turner, the President of the Georgia Federation of Teachers, sparked controversy on social media when she drew a comparison between Atlanta ranking highly for school choice and the rampant violence in Chicago. Her comments followed the release of a report by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which ranked the top 30 cities in terms of offering quality educational options. Turner made the comparison in an article published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, stating, "That’s like saying Chicago is the most murder-friendly city in the nation," in reference to Atlanta’s ranking.
The irony of Turner’s remarks lies in the fact that she has previously accused advocates of school choice of demonizing traditional public schools. "I have to give them an ‘A’ for orchestration, but I’ll give them an ‘F’ in ethics and telling the truth," she said. "It’s just a campaign, and the public is being played."
Turner’s comments received a backlash on social media, with Nina Rees, the CEO and President of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, condemning her remarks as "tone deaf," "disturbing," and "offensive." Rees called for an apology to charter school families and teachers.
Here is a sample of the online reaction to Turner’s comments:
– Michael Petrilli, December 10, 2015: The Georgia AFT Union affiliate equates charter schools to murder.
– Lori Armistead, December 10, 2015: GFT likens school choice to murder, despite the strong performance of charter schools.
– publiccharters.org, December 10, 2015: The National Alliance responds to the disturbing comments made by the President of the Georgia Federation of Teachers about school choice.
– Jeanne Allen, December 10, 2015: Georgia teachers’ union says Atlanta’s label as charter school friendly is the same as being murder-friendly.
– André-Tascha Lammé, December 10, 2015: Georgia AFT Union President Verdaillia Turner compares school choice to murder.
– Campbell Brown, December 10, 2015: The teachers union president equates charter schools to murder. Seriously.
– Inez Feltscher, December 10, 2015: The Georgia AFT Union President compares school choice in Atlanta to murder. Keep it classy, y’all.
