MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota – A former teacher and Minnesota congressional candidate is alleging that Gov. Tim Walz's leadership during the coronavirus pandemic resulted in learning loss for immigrant students.
May Lor Xiong, a Republican candidate in Minnesota's 4th Congressional District who taught in public school for 20 years, told Fox News Digital during a recent interview that 50% of Minnesota students are not reading at grade level after the pandemic.
“Our immigrant students, students of color, suffered the most in the education system,” Xiong told Fox of her experience teaching under pandemic-era rules. “A lot of the students couldn't read and write at grade level and even well below grade level. So that's something that we still have to continue to teach them.”
Xiong said many of her students' parents are new to the country, so she would have to travel to their homes to show them how to use the internet and iPads needed for virtual learning.
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Minnesota congressional candidate May Lor Xiong spoke to Fox News Digital about her experience working as a teacher during the coronavirus pandemic. (Fox News Digital)
Also in 2020, the former professor said Walz “allowed the city of Minneapolis to burn down. So, if he and Harris were elected, the possibility of this country burning down on their watch would be very high.”
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Xiong, who describes herself as “a product of the American dream” after being born in a refugee camp, said she is running in a “very diverse district.”
“We have a lot of Hmong Americans, Korean Americans, Hispanic immigrants and Somali immigrants in this district,” he said. “And what we're focusing on is going out to these different communities and talking to them about some of the issues that affect them.”
Democratic vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally with Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at the Liacouras Center at Temple University on August 6, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Harris ended weeks of speculation about who would be her running mate, selecting the 60-year-old Midwestern governor over other candidates. (Andrew Harnik)
Xiong said that after spending time in various communities in his district, he found that the economy, education and crime are the top issues voters care about.
“They want to make sure their kids can go to school and learn to read and write. And it seems like that's not an option right now because of all the indoctrination and all these crazy socialists that are being introduced into our school system,” he said.
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“We need to make sure our message reaches everyone,” Xiong told Fox. “We need a leader who will bring prosperity to the communities in the district and who also cares about this country and wants to make a difference.”
