May Day is coming – and with it are plans for “No work, no school, no purchasing.”
Across the country, far-left activists are plotting how to advance a radical left-wing political agenda, which they claim is intended to help the poor and oppressed. But, if you pull back the curtain, you will find upper- and middle-class left-wing radicals forcing social justice beliefs on society, all the way down to their children.
Unsurprisingly, the May 1, 2026, day of “collective action” includes a standard list of cliché (neo) Marxist demands that attempt to justify taking from the rich for the benefit of the “people.” Of course, anyone with a basic understanding of the history of socialist revolutions realizes that when put into practice, these beliefs inevitably consolidate power in the hands of a few.
What sets this year apart from past mobilization efforts is the deliberate attempt by organizers to use the education system to grow their numbers, influence, and control. This planned day of mass protests and direct actions is being driven by far-left activists and teachers' unions who are using K-12 schools and students as tools in service of a far-left “political revolution.”
This is not hyperbole; it comes straight from the professional agitators and unions themselves.
For example, Sunrise Movement’s documents call on students to orchestrate monthly acts of class “disruption” as they prepare for the ultimate day of direct action. The group’s guidebook states that “May Day 2026 is much more than just another street protest.”
It is, instead, how to “practice non-cooperation" using “tried-and-tested tactics” to “win a political revolution.”
If Sunrise Movement has not been clear about what it specifically means by “political revolution,” a recent May Day social media post features an image of an adult reading "The Communist Manifesto" to children.
Yet, Sunrise Movement is not acting alone. The teachers' unions are also active in organizing protests and driving a political revolution.
In fact, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) recently declared that it too would partake in the May 1 movement to fight for “democracy” and “public schools that provide our students with quality education.” Apparently, providing a “quality education” requires the shutdown of all learning in a district that features over 50 schools with zero students proficient in math.
Chicago is not the only city where this is taking place. For instance, unearthed documents from United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) reveal how the Southern California teachers' union appears to promote the use of school resources as “forms of resistance.” UTLA also noted the intent to incentivize students to get involved by offering “service-learning hours” for “community self-defense.”
But it is not just local unions like the CTU and UTLA that are engaged in this mass mobilization for political gain; national teachers' unions such as the National Education Association (NEA) are also behind the push.
In late January, NEA president Becky Pringle joined the executive director of Sunrise Movement and an advisor to New York City Mayor Mamdani for a virtual event titled “Roadmap to Political Revolution.” The meeting’s focus included calls for rebellion against “the billionaire-run two party system” and mass disruptions “especially on May 1.”
This is quite rich coming from an organization that took in nearly $400 million in member dues and fees in 2024 and is one of only two national teachers' unions to operate in the K-12 education system.
What the public needs to realize is that these efforts have already played a role in influencing the explosion of school walkouts since mid-January. Focused almost exclusively on pushing back against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions, these ongoing youth protests are serving as dress rehearsals for the coordinated nationwide mass boycott and demonstration planned for May Day.
Parents, school leaders, and community members must demand that these organizations no longer be allowed to indoctrinate, train, and use American youth as pawns for a far-left political revolution.
It is past time for the activists and teachers' unions to “leave them kids alone.”
Rhyen Staley is a researcher for Defending Education. He holds a master's degree in elementary education and has over a decade of classroom experience in both public and private schools. He has over 25 years of volleyball coaching experience from women’s Division I down to junior high.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member