'I don't want you to get investigated'

A newly released investigative video by James O'Keefe's Project Veritas shows a teacher's union official in Michigan advising an undercover journalist posing as a teacher not to report injuring a student in class.

"This is a tough one because, if we report it you're gonna get investigated. And I don't want you to get investigated," states Nick Nugent, executive director of the Michigan Education Association's South Oakland District's association office.

It is the fourth video in a series released by Project Veritas.

Earlier, the organization released a video about a $50,000 payout to a teacher accused of sexual misconduct with a child. The union twice went to court to try to conceal the video.

WND reported on the two previous videos. In one, a teachers union president confirmed the union protected a faculty member who had sex with a student.

The first video in the series featured Hamilton Township Education Association President David Perry, who admitted that to protect accused teachers, he would "bend" the truth, change a "punch" to a "shove," backdate statements, warn teachers to "not tell a soul" and stall proceedings to ensure security cameras record over a contested incident.

In the fourth, and latest, a Project Veritas undercover journalist posed as an MEA member who pushed down a student down in class, knocking the student's head against the edge of a board.

Nugent's advice could be a violation of the Michigan Child Protection Law regarding mandated reporting.

The video shows Nugent advising the teacher to "wait it out" and "take some time off" because "the longer the time goes on, the [student's wound] will heal."

He said a "worst-case scenario" would be an investigation and charges.

"With that you do what we call a settlement agreement. You choose to resign, and they will pay you out a certain amount of money. … The soonest they would get a hearing is probably October, November. And they would have to continue to pay your health care."

Regarding the mandated reporting, he told the teacher "it is truly up to" the teacher to decide whether to report the injury.

Nugent also describes past incidents in the district in which teachers got away with physically abusing students.

"I've had where teachers have pushed kids and pushed them down, and it hasn't come out. … I've had it where, like I had a coach one time, and he's a teacher, too, you know, push a kid, I mean push him down on the ground. It was reported, and then he ended up with a six-day suspension."

A handout given to the undercover reporter posing as a teacher said, "Mandated reporters are always required to report suspected abuse … teachers … are mandated reporters."

Yet Nugent tells the teacher: "That's your decision. I can't make that decision for you."

But he assures that "either way," the union will support the teacher.

The videos are part of a nation-wide investigation by Project Veritas into teachers unions.

The fourth video:

The third video:

The third reveals how the union negotiated a $50,000 payout to a teacher who was accused of – but never charged with – sexual misconduct with a child.

The teacher's identity has been withheld because there were no charges and he denied the accusations.

But the Michigan ATF went to court repeatedly to suppress the video, O'Keefe said. The judge ruled twice in favor of Project Veritas.

The accusations were that the teacher, who had been dating the mother of the student, then about 7 or 8 years old, had come into the child's room at night and tried to remove her underwear, the video reveals.

Following O'Keefe reports on two incidents in New Jersey, two officials, David Perry, president of the Hamilton Township Education Association, and Kathleen Valencia, president of the Union City Education Association, were suspended for their comments on video.

Project Veritas reported Democrats in New Jersey and Gov. Phil Murphy now want hearings to investigate the practices of the New Jersey Education Association.

Valencia said: "This file right here is from a teacher who had sex with a student. This file is about whether or not the teacher gets to keep his pension. Is he going to jail? No. How come? Because the child's not pressing charges. There's no proof."

The video of Valencia:

The first video: