Education crisis ignored while schools debate bathroom rules

Listen To Story Above

During a recent “Overtime” segment on HBO’s “Real Time,” former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel expressed strong views on the current state of education and transgender bathroom policies. Emanuel made a pointed statement about prioritizing educational challenges over bathroom access debates.

The former mayor addressed the difficulties faced by Democratic city leaders, emphasizing the critical need to redirect attention toward educational outcomes. He highlighted the alarming decline in reading proficiency among eighth-grade students, noting that this issue has reached its lowest point in three decades. Emanuel expressed frustration that neither local nor national leadership, including governors, mayors, presidents, and education secretaries, were adequately addressing this educational crisis.

Bill Maher asks Rahm Emanuel why Chicago's mayor has such a low approval rating, and the panel agrees that Democrat policies have ruined large American cities:
Bill Maher: "I read that the current mayor of Chicago has an approval rating of 6.6%. What's going on in Chicago?"
Rahm… pic.twitter.com/Wn3rj5kQ9v

— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) March 1, 2025

/div>

Making his point with characteristic directness, Emanuel shared a personal reflection about his middle school years, suggesting that as a seventh-grader, he might have taken advantage of gender identity policies to access the girls’ bathroom. However, he quickly pivoted back to his main concern: the state of American education.

Emanuel drew attention to the broader implications of educational underperformance, particularly in the context of global competition. He emphasized that while the United States faces strategic challenges from China’s population of 1.4 billion, a significant majority of American students struggle with basic reading comprehension at the eighth-grade level. He concluded his remarks by insisting that bathroom policy discussions should take a back seat to addressing the urgent needs in American classrooms.

🚨 BREAKING: Boston, Chicago, Denver, NYC Sanctuary Mayors to Be Held Publicly Accountable on March 5 pic.twitter.com/ANujXq9tBm

— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) February 26, 2025