Chris Christie: Apologize for Threatening Teachers

Gov. Chris Christie

In an interview broadcast Sunday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said teachers' unions "are the single most destructive force in public education in America," and deserve "a punch in the face."

Teachers unions aren't some faceless entity--our unions are made up of individual teachers, who go to work every day dedicated to helping children succeed. 

Teachers today face huge challenges--from top-down, blame-and-shame policies to on-the-job violence. 

Threats and violence have no place in our schools, or in our national discourse.

Chris Christie seems to think that leadership means threatening violence and creating a culture of intimidation. We couldn't disagree more. Sign our petition, and demand that Chris Christie apologize for threatening our nation's educators.

Photo by Marc Nozell, via Flickr

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Washington, DC

To: Gov. Chris Christie
From: [Your Name]

Every day, America's teachers go to work to help students succeed.
Teachers face difficult conditions--from record-high child poverty to state budgets that slash support for our schools. The last thing they need is elected leaders threatening them and demeaning their collective voice.
When you go on national television and say that teachers' unions deserve "a punch in the face," you're not threatening a faceless organization. You're creating a culture of violence and intimidation that directly affects hard-working educators across America.
Violence has no place in our national discourse.
Please apologize for your offensive comments, and commit to treating teachers and our unions with the respect and courtesy, as befits an elected leader.