Metro

Teachers union president threatened to ‘punch’ Common Core opponents

City teachers union president Michael Mulgrew flipped his lid at a national union gathering last month while defending Common Core — at one point pugnaciously threatening those who oppose it that he would “punch you in the face and push you in the dirt.”

“As a local who had one of the worst implementations in the entire country of Common Core, I understand my brothers’ and sisters’ frustration and anger about the Common Core,” Mulgrew thundered at the American Federation of Teachers convention in Los Angeles, defending the national education standards during a debate on a proposal to oppose them.

“And I have heard the stories about how [Common Core backers] Eli Broad, Bill Gates, Joel Klein and a flying saucer full of Martians designed these things to brainwash us all,” he added, alluding to critics’ conspiracy theories.

The sweating Mulgrew’s rhetoric grew increasingly heated during the speech, which was posted on the Ed Notes Online blog.

“What bothers me more than anything is the idea is that the American Federation of Teachers would back down from a fight … You don’t back down from a fight,” he bellowed.

“If someone takes something from me, I’m going to grab it right back out of their cold, twisted, sick hands and say, ‘It is mine! You do not take what is mine!’” Mulgrew shouted, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

“And I’m going to punch you in the face and push you in the dirt because this is the teachers! These are our tools and you sick people need to deal with us and the children we teach. Thank you very much!”

Mulgrew is a supporter of the standards, though he was highly critical of their implementation in New York.

Nationally, many teachers oppose the standards, which have been adopted by 45 states.

The UFT did not immediately respond to a request for elaboration on Mulgrew’s remarks.