Former teacher reveals which students suffered 'the most' under Walz's pandemic-era guidelines
May Lor Xiong is the GOP nominee running for Minnesota's 4th Congressional District
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - A former teacher and Minnesota congressional candidate charges that Gov. Tim Walz's leadership during the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a learning loss for immigrant students.
May Lor Xiong, a Republican candidate in Minnesota's 4th Congressional District who taught public school for 20 years, told Fox News Digital during a recent interview that 50% of students in Minnesota are not reading on their grade level following the pandemic.
"Our immigrant students, students of color, suffered the most in the educational system," Xiong told Fox of her experience teaching under pandemic-era rules. "Many of the students were not able to read and write at their grade level and even way below their grade level. So, that's something that we still have to continue to teach them."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Xiong said that many of her student's parents are new to the country, so she would have to travel to their homes in order to show them how to use the internet and iPads required for virtual learning.
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Minnesota congressional candidate May Lor Xiong spoke with Fox News Digital about her experience working as a teacher during the coronavirus pandemic. (Fox News Digital)
Also in 2020, the former teacher said that Walz "allowed the city of Minneapolis to burn down. And so if he and Harris were to be elected, the possibility of this country burned down on their watch would be very high. "
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Xiong, who describes herself as "the product of the American dream" after being born in a refugee camp, said that she is running in a "very diverse district."
"We have a lot of Hmong Americans, Korean, Hispanic and Somali immigrants and this district," she said. "And what we're focusing on is going to these different communities and talking to them about what are some of the issues that are impacting them."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally with Democratic presidential candidate, 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 her running mate would be, selecting the 60-year-old midwestern governor over other candidates. (Andrew Harnik)
Xiong said that after spending time in diverse communities in her district, she's found that the economy, education, and crime are the top issues of concern to voters.
"They want to make sure that their kids can go to school and learn how 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 put into our school system," she said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We need to make sure that we get our message across," Xiong told Fox. "We need a leader who will bring prosperity to the communities here to the district and also who cares about this country and wants to make a difference."