Nation's largest teachers union faces backlash for 'unprecedented' summer reading list

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called out the National Education Association along with politicians and bureaucrats for believing they have more authority over education than parents.

GOV. GLENN YOUNGKIN: This is the same NEA that counseled Biden to keep schools shut for an extended period of time. And it's the same NEA that said that parents, in fact, were on the verge of being terrorists, showing up at school board meetings. This is who is recommending what books to read for our kids. It's unprecedented. That [educators] should read as well. The challenge we've got today is that there have been politicians and bureaucrats and the teachers associations and unions who believe that they are more important in kids lives than parents. This is what we stood up for in Virginia. This is what spread across the nation. The parents' movement found ground zero right here in Northern Virginia, and it has swept across the nation. This used to be a topic that Republicans ran away from. We're running to it because I think Americans and Virginians recognize it is time for parents to be not just at the table but at the head of the table.

The nation's largest teachers union recommended on Monday that teachers include "Gender Queer" and other controversial books on their summer reading lists.

The book was featured in the NEA's "Great Summer Reads for Educators!" list that showcased 11 books. Among those books are "White Fragility," a book that insists that White Americans use anger, shame and guilt to avoid taking responsibility for racial inequality.