Parents’ Group: Schools Got $18M for China Indoctrination

An activist group is calling out the lack of concern for Chinese-funded “indoctrination” in America’s K-12 schools to the tune of nearly $18 million.

Parents Defending Education released a report Wednesday titled “Little Red Classrooms,” outlining the $17,967,565.12 taken in from 2009 to date for Chinese indoctrination in 34 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., covering 143 districts, including 20 near military bases.

“State and federal officials should immediately begin investigations to determine the scope of China’s involvement, influence, and access to our K-12 student information and curriculum,” the report concluded, as congressional lawmakers are receiving the report’s findings along with calls for oversight.

“At the congressional level, committees of jurisdiction should move to hold hearings to determine the scope of this security vulnerability, and specifically to evaluate how China’s infiltration of our K-12 classrooms has compromised student information, curriculum data, and America’s intellectual property.”

The report ticks down state-by-state the funding for Chinese-backed programming in K-12 schools and provides the receipts.

“The allure of Chinese language and culture programs have led American K-12 schools to forge ties with one of the United States’ biggest foreign adversaries,” the report read. “While it’s important to provide students access to Chinese language and culture programs in schools, American schools should not give the Chinese Communist Party unfettered access to our students.”

China has been funding Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms worldwide through its Belt and Road Initiative, an operation “to further the Chinese Communist Party’s global influence,” according to the report.

“Further research reveals the People’s Republic of China fostered relationships with American K-12 schools through grants, sister school partnerships, and other programming since at least 2009,” the report added. “Parents Defending Education tracked affiliations in 143 schools across 34 states and Washington, D.C. — and at least seven are still active.

“Financial exchanges between K-12 schools and the Chinese government range from a few thousand dollars to, in Thomas Jefferson High School’s case, more than a million dollars. Disturbingly, the Chinese government’s ties appear to target school districts near 20 American military bases.”