Alerting schools to possible Chinese Communist Party influence

CONCORD- The U.S. Departments of Education and State are alerting American schools about possible political influence from the Chinese Communist Party in the form of the Confucius Classrooms program. The State Department recently designated the Confucius Institute U.S. Center as a foreign mission of the People’s Republic of China. Given the authoritarian PRC’s record of human rights abuses and disdain for free expression and dissent, federal officials urge school officials to carefully examine their use of Confucius Classroom materials, and to ensure that visiting teachers from the PRC are not working under conditions inconsistent with American constitutional protections.

The letter reads in part:

“On August 13, the State Department designated the Confucius Institute U.S. Center (CIUS) in Washington, D.C., as a foreign mission of the PRC. While the CIUS designation does not directly affect Confucius Classrooms at schools around the country, we seek to shine a light on CIUS and its relationship to Confucius Classrooms operating in U.S. schools. This designation will provide much-needed transparency by requiring CIUS to provide information about its operations to the State Department, including regarding its relationship with individual Confucius Classrooms across the United States. As a result, U.S. stakeholders, including primary and secondary schools, will be able to make more informed choices about PRC government influence being exerted on their communities.”

The letter also warns “that approval from an institution affiliated with the PRC’s Ministry of Education is generally required when filling teaching positions associated with Confucius Classrooms.”
 
“New Hampshire schools have control over their own curriculum, and we trust local school boards to make the best decisions for their communities,” said New Hampshire  Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut. “To do so, they need the best information possible, and this alert gives local officials good reason to be cautious in using Confucius Classroom materials in their schools.”

Letter from U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo