The Department of Education marked Teacher Appreciation Week with a “SpongeBob SquarePants”-themed post on X that quickly drew mockery and backlash online.

“Teachers are dedicated,” the department — which President Donald Trump has long sought to dismantle — wrote on Wednesday alongside an image of the character Mrs. Puff reading a book titled “MAGA.”

Teachers are dedicated. 📕 pic.twitter.com/HRyS0RtQVt

Critics quickly pointed to what they saw as hypocrisy from Republicans who frequently complain about children being “indoctrinated by Democrats” in schools while putting a “Make America Great Again” spin on a cartoon character.

Others noted that Mrs. Puff is perhaps best known in the show for SpongeBob SquarePants’ repeated failure to pass his driving exam, despite her lessons.

FLOOR IT https://t.co/MkU2MBl2g4

Republicans: the children are being indoctrinated by Democrats in schools!Republicans running the Department of Education: https://t.co/l6TqKhE0mp

It's a perfect tweet because, between the right-wing hatred of teachers and the graphic having the character reading a book called MAGA somehow, there are zero people happy about it. https://t.co/7d5u4hkJEn

You realize she is famous for her main student constantly failing https://t.co/4yFpGxz9gs

Is that supposed to be teacher reading a MAGA book? pic.twitter.com/xIpdMieYGR

ain’t no way mrs. puff is maga be so for real https://t.co/zoqg4ABpZW

The Department of Embarrassment https://t.co/Fu6doaWrSQ

What ever happened to education and not indoctrination? https://t.co/bx3AQFTrEP

I teach phonics not bullshit. https://t.co/NK85ZC6wge

Mrs. Puff was so dedicated that after SpongeBob failed his driving test, she just said “f it” and gave him a 10-word test, which he didn’t even complete, and still passed himShe is the literal worst example you could’ve used for this https://t.co/BAhUvi30C7

Dedicated despite Trump trying to eliminate the entire department. https://t.co/2JFC0nDMaD

this is such a disgrace. everyone should be ashamed of what this country has become. https://t.co/4mtQHtt3Vg

My girl Mrs. Puff would NEVER be associated with your kind take ts down https://t.co/DyhaCV4EIR

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