McCloy highlights teachers unions at Judicial Watch session: ‘They've got our kids in young and they're indoctrinating them’
Kristina McCloy, founder of Concerned Parents of Illinois, highlighted her advocacy work in DuPage County during a panel discussion at the 2026 Judicial Watch Conference in Miami.
The event brought together speakers focused on parental rights in schools and broader civic engagement.
McCloy spoke on a panel titled “Educating with Integrity: Parents, Teachers, Community,” moderated by Judicial Watch senior attorney Michael Bekesha. The session also featured Ryan Walters, CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance.
Judicial Watch, which hosted the conference panel, is a legal organization focused on government accountability and transparency.
McCloy used her remarks to argue that political influence plays a major role in Illinois education policy, citing the influence of teachers unions on state lawmakers.
“The teachers union in Illinois funds four out of five of our legislators so about 81 percent of our legislators they fund so they are very, very powerful,” she said in a video clip from the event posted on the Concerned Parents of Illinois Facebook page.
She said this dynamic has shifted decision-making power away from parents and toward union-backed policymakers, creating an imbalance in local control over schools.
In fact, a 2024 Wirepoints analysis found Illinois teachers unions and their national affiliates contributed nearly $30 million to state political candidates and causes over the previous four years.About 94% of that funding went to Democrats, including major donations to top legislative leaders and political action committees supporting progressive ballot initiatives.
Republicans also received roughly $2.5 million, though some of those funds were directed toward union-backed challengers in primary races or came from limited cross-party endorsements.
Critics argue this financial relationship helps reinforce a political system in which unions maintain significant influence over education policy despite persistent concerns about student performance in Illinois public schools and leftist politicization of classrooms.
McCloy pointed out that local property taxes are the primary funding mechanism for the dynamic.
“They've got our kids in young and they're indoctrinating them, and they are taking our next generation,” McCloy said. “I think it's very, very scary. And I think it’s very sad that 80% of my property taxes in Illinois go to that school and I have to fund the indoctrination of those kids.”
McCloy, whose organization is based in Hinsdale and has exerted its advocacy in DuPage County, has previously worked with Judicial Watch and attorney Michael Bekesha on local school policy disputes.
That collaboration included efforts involving Hinsdale's Community Consolidated School District 181, where parents raised concerns about classroom instruction and library books they said contained sexually explicit themes, gender identity instruction and LGBT-focused content introduced at the elementary level.
Those discussions ultimately contributed to the district revising its opt-out policy, allowing parents in D181 to restrict their children’s exposure to specific library and instructional content.
During the session, Walters also addressed ideological divisions in education.
“Most people with any common sense go, I don't care what your opinion is, why are you pushing this on our kids?” Walters said. “Okay, even if you may be a Democrat, you look at some of that and say this is wild. I mean, if I had told you 30 years ago, they're going to be telling kindergartners there's 27 genders, you would have said, there's no way, I mean that's crazy. It's lunacy. But that's the position of an entire movement now.”
Walters added that he believes institutional power is increasingly entrenched.
“As the left has so institutionalized their power against conservatives, against the country, that if we don't take advantage of these moments, those institutions will continue to crush this country and move us in a terrible direction,” he said.
Subsequently, McCloy said she views continued engagement as necessary.
“The fight is worth it, how do we just lay down and die and let them take our kids and let them take our country and live like this?” she said. "We can’t. We have to fight back."
McCloy’s comments were met with thunderous applause.
The Judicial Watch Annual Roundtable was held April 20-22, 2026, at Trump National Doral Miami and featured panels, briefings and keynote addresses focused on legal advocacy, election integrity, border security, education policy and government oversight.
Among the most prominent speakers were federal and former federal officials, including Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr., White House border official Tom Homan and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Former Rep. Louie Gohmert also appeared as a guest speaker, alongside independent investigative journalists Catherine Herridge, Nick Shirley and former HHS Assistant Secretary Michael Caputo.
Bill McCloy (left), GOP Precinct Committeeman, Nick Shirley (center), a 23-year-old YouTuber known for fraud allegations in Minnesota programs, and Kristina McCloy (right), founder of Concerned Parents of Illinois, meet at the Judicial Watch Roundtable, April 20–22, 2026. (Kristina McCloy)
A major area of focus was border security and immigration enforcement, highlighted in a panel featuring Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, along with Judicial Watch investigators and policy staff. Related discussions emphasized federal enforcement strategy and interagency coordination.
Government transparency and investigative oversight were also highlighted through panels on FOIA litigation and public records enforcement, led by Judicial Watch legal and investigative teams, including Director of Litigation Paul Orfanedes and Director of Open Records Ramona Cotca, alongside independent watchdog representatives.
Election integrity and voting systems were another central topic, with Judicial Watch attorneys and legal partners addressing ongoing litigation and Supreme Court-related challenges. Speakers included Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton, Director of Election Law Programs Bob Popper and multiple staff attorneys involved in election-related cases.
Increasingly over the past decade Judicial Watch has raised concerns in DuPage County and Illinois at large about voter registration accuracy.
Judicial Watch alleged in 2017 that DuPage County’s voter rolls were inaccurate, claiming registered voters outnumbered eligible residents and warning of potential legal action.
Illinois agreed in 2023 to provide a comprehensive electronic voter database covering the past 15 elections as part of a legal settlement following a challenge by Judicial Watch.
A federal lawsuit filed in July 2024 by Judicial Watch and allied groups alleged the state failed to properly maintain voter rolls, citing minimal removals across multiple counties.
The U.S. Department of Justice weighed in on the case in 2025, filing a statement of interest emphasizing federal requirements for accurate voter roll maintenance.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, and Kristina McCloy, founder of Concerned Parents of Illinois, at the Judicial Watch Annual Roundtable, April 20–22, 2026. (Kristina McCloy)