Hermantown Middle School, a Duluth-area public school, is under fire after a December geography unit that described Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as using "tricky & violent tactics" and gave students the option to watch enforcement videos for extra credit. Parents and advocacy groups argue the lesson blurred the line between teaching current events and pushing a partisan take.
The group Defending Education published the teacher's PowerPoint and screenshots a parent submitted. One slide asked, "In what ways do people think the ICE agents have 'gone too far?'" and listed "tricky & violent tactics" alongside prompts about detention conditions and alleged harassment. The organization also shared a redacted email from the principal stating, "All of our social studies classes have a current events component to them and this information is part of the MN standards in geography."
District leaders have pushed back, saying the unit falls under state standards and pointing to the district's stated curricular goals and planning documents on its website, per Hermantown Community Schools. Superintendent Wayne Whitwam told Newsweek staff members "strive to share both viewpoints" and that administrators had circulated guidance reminding teachers to keep the focus on instruction rather than advocacy.
What students saw in class
Images posted by Defending Education show slides alleging that ICE agents sometimes wore masks, failed to file required paperwork, and placed detainees in overcrowded or harsh conditions. The presentation linked out to external videos and offered extra credit for watching them. Another slide stated that ICE had "arrested &/or harassed thousands" and featured clickable items directing students to read more about specific cases.
Context: a tense statewide backdrop
The controversy is unfolding as Minnesota continues to process a months-long federal enforcement surge in the Twin Cities known as Operation Metro Surge. White House border official Tom Homan announced a drawdown of the operation in mid February after citing thousands of arrests, per Forum News Service. The enforcement push and several high profile incidents led some districts, including Minneapolis, to briefly offer remote learning options when attendance slipped, according to reporting that quoted the Associated Press.
Conservative advocates seized on the Hermantown lesson materials as proof of partisan indoctrination in the classroom, while other parents and educators countered that the unit fit a current events requirement and warranted open discussion rather than outrage. Nicole Neily, president of Defending Education, labeled the slides "replete with falsehoods," as reported by Newsweek. The district says it plans to follow its standard curriculum review process while responding to questions from families.
Legal implications
The dispute is playing out against a broader legal fight over immigration enforcement near schools. A coalition of Minnesota districts and teachers' groups filed a federal lawsuit in early February asking the courts to restrict Department of Homeland Security operations close to school grounds, arguing that recent actions have disrupted learning and put students at risk, according to The Washington Post. Federal officials say arrests at schools are rare and that operations focus on criminal suspects, but ongoing legal challenges and investigations into use of force have kept tensions high.
Next steps in Hermantown will likely include a local review of the unit and yet another round of debate over how middle school teachers should handle hot button political topics. The district's publicly posted "Blueprint for Success" emphasizes age appropriate and equitable instruction, and administrators say they are leaning on those standards as they address complaints and consider any changes, per Hermantown Community Schools.
