In a recent turn of events, a planned visit by WWE executive and U.S. Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to a Connecticut elementary school was abruptly canceled following backlash from parents. The controversy erupted at McKinley Elementary School in Fairfield, where McMahon was scheduled to make an appearance on Friday.
Principal Christine Booth initially shared the news of McMahon’s visit with excitement in a message sent to parents on Wednesday evening. However, the announcement was met with resistance from many parents and local community members who voiced their disapproval of the visit due to McMahon’s association with the WWE and her political affiliations.
In response to the growing concerns, Fairfield’s Superintendent of Schools, Michael Testani, made the decision to cancel the appearance. This decision came just hours after Principal Booth had informed parents about the event.
In an email addressed to parents, Testani conveyed that the school district had received numerous messages from families who were apprehensive about the visit. Some parents even indicated they were considering keeping their children home from school if the visit proceeded as planned.
Fairfield Superintendent of Schools Michael Testani was forced to call off the visit just hours after the school’s principal, Christine Booth, announced it to parents on Wednesday evening.
Testani told parents in an email that night that the district ‘heard from many families who expressed concerns and shared that they were considering keeping their children home.’
‘After listening carefully to our community and sharing those concerns with officials in Washington, the decision was made to cancel Friday’s program,’ he continued.
McMahon was supposed to visit McKinley Elementary as a part of the ED’s ‘History Rocks!’ tour.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is pictured above at the world premiere of the Melania movie on Thursday night
Linda McMahon and her husband Vince McMahon are pictured together in 2009 in Las Vegas
The initiative to have McMahon and other education leaders visit schools across all 50 states kicked off in December with trips to schools in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
The tour is meant to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary this year.
‘I look forward to highlighting excellence in patriotic education, civic literacy, and student-driven civics projects in classrooms across the country,’ McMahon said in a statement at the time.
‘Preparing the next generation of American leaders to understand and appreciate the blessings of liberty our Constitution secures has never been more urgent.’
‘History Rocks!’ was coordinated with the America 250 Civics Education Coalition involving more than 40 national and state organizations.
Those involved include Turning Point USA and the America First Policy Institute. Its mission is to ‘spearhead nationwide initiatives to engage students, educators, and communities in conversations about liberty, citizenship and America’s enduring values,’ according to the ED.
‘A country cannot survive if its values are forgotten by its people,’ McMahon said in September when the group was formed.
‘More than ever, we need to restore the vitality of the American spirit, and this coalition will take bold steps to educate, inspire and mobilize youth toward active and informed citizenship.’
McMahon was supposed to visit McKinley Elementary School, seen above, on Friday
The Fairfield Representative Town Meeting wrote a statement of appreciation to the district for canceling McMahon’s visit
Regardless of the intention of McMahon’s visit to McKinley Elementary, PTA members and local officials expressed relief on Thursday that she was no longer coming.
They also said they were upset that school leadership even considered inviting her.
Tracy Rodriguez, a McKinley parent and a Democratic member of the Fairfield Representative Town Meeting, told WNPR that she had a ‘heated discussion’ with Testani on Wednesday.
‘He saw no concern over the visit. He thought I was politicizing it,’ she told the outlet.
‘I think it’s completely inappropriate to have someone from the Trump administration speaking directly to our children, and in light of what’s happening in our country right now, I personally felt that the safety of our students and staff was not being considered.’
Rodriquez and three other Democrats from the Fairfield Representative Town Meeting shared a statement of appreciation to the district for backing down to their demands.
‘We strongly commend the McKinley PTA, parents, and others who spoke up and made clear that elementary school students should not be placed in the middle of politically driven initiatives,’ it reads.
‘At the same time, many families were deeply troubled that Fairfield Public Schools agreed to host this event at all.’
Christine Booth and Michael Testani sent emails to parents on Wednesday regarding McMahon’s visit
President Donald Trump and McMahon are seen above displaying an executive order aimed at downsizing the Department of Education in March 2025
In a statement reacting to the ordeal, ED Press Secretary Savannah Newhouse wrote: ‘Engaging young students with fun games and questions like “When was our nation founded?” and “Who primarily wrote the Declaration of Independence?” isn’t indoctrination – it’s sparking excitement about the story of freedom and democracy.
‘If a school considers this partisan, it suggests they’re more influenced by left-wing narratives about the tour than by the truth of the tour itself.’
McMahon lives in Greenwich and served as the WWE CEO from 1197 to 2009. She entered the wrestling world with her estranged husband, Vince, who was the son of famed promoter Vincent J McMahon.
She served one year on the Connecticut Board of Education and unsuccessfully ran for the state Senate as a Republican.
She also served about 13 years on the board of trustees of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the ED, Fairfield Public Schools and the Fairfield Representative Town Meeting for comment.
