Subjects of IEA video call it ‘propaganda,’ say teachers unions upset parents are standing up

[December 21, 2021]  By Greg Bishop

(The Center Square) – A political video published by the Illinois Education Association is being criticized as propaganda by the targets of the production.

The six-minute narrated video from the IEA shows a mock detective’s board with a variety of groups and individuals it strings together, saying they’re trying to make schools less safe and tear down teachers’ unions.

The first target is attorney Thomas DeVore. The video says he’s profiting in a lawsuit parents brought against schools over mask mandates.

“Why would DeVore be looking for all this extra cash right now. One reason could be he’s running for judge,” the video’s narrators says. “That’s right, he’s planning to fund an election campaign.”

On a Facebook Live video, last week with Awake Illinois, another subject of the IEA’s video, DeVore said the connection IEA is attempting to make is “ridiculous.”

“It’s almost like in a pompous way going ‘how dare you question the manner in which we are doing things,’ it’s an arrogance about them,” DeVore said.

DeVore called the video propaganda, as did the founder of Awake Illinois, Shannon Adcock.

A clip from a video produced by the Illinois Education Association followed by reaction from Awake Illinois founder Shannon Adcock and attorney Thomas DeVore.  

• IEANEA Vimeo.com, AwakeIL Facebook

Adcock is one of a group of more than 700 parents suing more than 140 schools and the governor over mask mandates in a case DeVore has pending. DeVore has another case of dozens of teachers and staff suing 22 schools and the governor over vaccine mandates.

Adcock said nobody has ever offered her organization Awake Illinois “dark money,” as the IEA video portends. She said it’s the union that’s funding politics.

“The Illinois teacher unions and the school administrative organizations gave over $7 million in contributions to political candidates last cycle,” Adcock said.

Her group isn't sinister, Adcock said. The group's power is from parents fighting for the right to have a say in their children’s education.

“We’re not asleep at the wheel anymore,” Adcock said. “It’s awesome to see parents waking up and realizing the machine that we’re up against.”