COLTS NECK, New Jersey (WABC) — A visit from U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon is stirring backlash in New Jersey Thursday night.
Cedar Drive Middle School in Colts Neck is among the first stops on McMahon’s 50-state civics tour backed by conservative groups.
It’s a partnership some families say brings politics and religion into a public-school setting.
A letter went out to Colts Neck parents on Tuesday, just three days before Friday’s assembly featuring McMahon, and the History Rocks Tour, a program designed by America First Policy Institute, Turning Point USA, Hillsdale College, and other organizations all considered strongly conservative.
Some people in Colts Neck are very concerned.
“I was shocked. I immediately, upon reading the notice that went out to families, it claims to be non-partisan. None of the organizations that are supporting this initiative for the federal government are non-partisan,” said Colts Neck resident Alison Denoia.
Michael Gottesman is the founder of the New Jersey Public Education Coalition.
“We expect it’s going to have political and religious ideology, and when a group like Turning Point USA is leading the charge and is going to be the presenter at this assembly, we have concerns that based on their past history, that this should not be in public schools,” Gottesman said.
The letter to parents say the assembly was arranged by Board of Education President Angelique Volpe.
Eyewitness News reached out to Volpe for comment, but got no reply.
The letter to parents calls the program, “a meaningful, non-partisan initiative designed to inspire students’ interest in U.S. history and civic responsibility.”
Danielle Alpaugh says her middle schooler will be absent on Friday.
“What I deem to be a very political organization is coming in and giving a school-wide assembly, and so he’s not going to school, and so we are going to try and do something that’s educational and relevant to the — like a civics lesson,” she said.
Eyewitness News also received an email from another group of parents writing anonymously, saying the lessons are extremely conservative, biased, and have no business in a public school. They called the invitation a gross overstep of the Board of Education, and it does not align with many families’ values.
“They are all aligned with an extreme ideology and an extreme agenda,” Denoia said.
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2025 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.