A middle school in Minnesota recently presented an eighth-grade geography class with a slide that described Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as “harassing” immigrants. The school also acknowledged students who viewed a 19-minute video focused on “ICE and Trump’s $170 billion deportation machine.”
Fox News Digital acquired a complete set of slides distributed to students at Hermantown Middle School, which posed the question: “How does President Trump plan to reduce the large number of illegal immigrants promised during his campaign?”
In an exchange with the principal, the nonprofit group Defending Education, which advocates for educational integrity, stated that the curriculum aligns with Minnesota educational standards.
Nicole Neily, the founder of Defending Education, expressed her concerns to Fox News Digital, stating, “It’s troubling that this lesson is so biased and filled with inaccuracies, and it’s even more frustrating to see principals defend such material. Students are essentially fed ideological propaganda during limited school hours and instructed on what to think instead of how to think.”
Neily added, “It’s no surprise that families are leaving the public education system in large numbers.”
Students were shown graphic depictions of “thousands of legal immigrants and 170 Americans” being “dragged, tackled, beaten, Tasered, and shot,” which led eighth-graders to engage with a linked video.
The school is part of Hermantown Community Schools, which has a Blueprint for Success for 2024-2027 that emphasizes a curriculum reflecting the diversity of its student population and promoting anti-racism and cultural sustainability.
Fox News Digital reached out to the school for comment but has not received a response. The Minnesota School District outlines its definition of antiracism as actively working to eradicate forms of racism to change any existing policies or beliefs that support racist behavior.
The district is also advocating for the inclusion of diverse cultural content, especially of Black and Indigenous communities, in its educational practices as part of its commitment to cultural sustainability.
Meanwhile, the curriculum remains in place as K-12 students and teachers participate in various strikes across the nation. For instance, in Cincinnati, students reportedly caused a disturbance at a local grocery store following an anti-ICE demonstration, and more than 300 high school students in Virginia faced suspensions after an anti-ICE walkout that required police intervention. Additionally, multiple arrests occurred during a similar event in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.
