{"id":2461,"date":"2021-12-02T20:57:46","date_gmt":"2021-12-02T20:57:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/?p=2461"},"modified":"2021-12-02T21:01:37","modified_gmt":"2021-12-02T21:01:37","slug":"tackling-critical-race-theory-what-it-is-and-where-it-is-being-banned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/?p=2461","title":{"rendered":"TACKLING CRITICAL RACE THEORY: WHAT IT IS AND WHERE IT IS BEING BANNED"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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DISTRESS OF NATIONS<\/DIV>\n
\"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth
distress4938: <\/font>unoche, soon-okh-ay\u00b4; from 4912; restraint, i.e. (figuratively) anxiety: \u2014 anguish, distress. <\/span><\/div>; of nations, the sea and the waves roaring;\" \n \u2014 Luke 21:25<\/blockquote><\/div> \n\n
\"And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; \u2013 Acts 17:26\n<\/blockquote><\/strong><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Article Source:<\/strong> The Epoch Times<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The presence of\u00a0critical race theory\u00a0(CRT) in K-12 education has become a prominent issue in some of the nation\u2019s recent high-profile elections. In Virginia\u2019s gubernatorial race, Glenn Youngkin, a Republican running on an anti-CRT platform, defeated former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who insisted that CRT isn\u2019t being taught in Virginia\u2019s K-12 classrooms and stated that parents shouldn\u2019t tell schools what to teach their children.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

An outgrowth of Marxism, the CRT interprets society through a Marxist dichotomy between \u201coppressor\u201d and \u201coppressed,\u201d but replaces the class categories with racial groups. Proponents of CRT see deeply embedded racism in all aspects of U.S. society, including in neutral systems such as constitutional law and standardized tests, and deem it to be the root cause of \u201cracial inequity,\u201d or different outcomes for different races.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is CRT Being Taught in American Schools?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

CRT is not being taught in American schools in a similar way that Maria Montessori\u2019s pedagogy is not being taught in Montessori schools around the world. School administrators and teachers who endorse CRT do not teach the college-level academic framework to young children but incorporate its key elements into policies, training programs, curricula, teaching materials, class activities, and homework assignments.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Parents Defending Education, a parent-led non-profit organization, has documented hundreds of such cases from across the country. For example, a class of third-graders at a San Jose, California, elementary school\u00a0was instructed to\u00a0\u201cdeconstruct their racial identities,\u201d then rank themselves according to \u201cpower and privilege\u201d they supposedly possess. In an elementary school in Washington\u2019s Bellevue School District, second-grade students\u00a0were told to\u00a0have \u201cexplicit conversations about race, equity, and access\u201d in an effort to help them \u201crecognize and identify white culture.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

The effort to inject CRT into the curriculum is currently being advanced under various euphemisms such as \u201cculturally responsive teaching\u201d and \u201cdiversity, equity, and inclusion,\u201d according to Christopher Rufo, an author and filmmaker best known for exposing how CRT infiltrates governments, schools, and businesses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this revolving language system that they use to confuse, that they use to avoid, and that they use to obfuscate,\u201d Rufo told EpochTV\u2019s \u201cAmerican Thought Leaders\u201d program. \u201cThey\u2019re deploying it because they refuse to defend critical race theory on the merits because even they know that it\u2019s indefensible politically.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

How Many States are Taking Action Against CRT?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

As of Nov. 22, 2021, 10 states\u2014Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and South Carolina\u2014have passed anti-CRT measures. Arizona\u2019s Supreme Court later overturned the CRT ban that existed as a part of the state\u2019s 2022 budget bill, citing the state constitution requiring individual bills to encompass a single subject.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

The proposals and laws combating CRT usually do not explicitly mention the words \u201ccritical race theory,\u201d but instead target specific concepts and beliefs that are a part of or derived from the ideology. Notable exceptions are those in Idaho and North Dakota.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many state lawmakers modeled their anti-CRT measures after the\u00a0Trump administration\u2019s September 2020 executive order\u00a0that banned \u201coffensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping\u201d in training for federal agencies and contractors. That order was rescinded in January on President Joe Biden\u2019s first day in the White House.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some legislative efforts also explicitly ban the teaching of The New York Times\u2019 \u201c1619 Project\u201d or\u00a0any curriculum based on it. Spearheaded by Nikole Hannah-Jones, the highly controversial project consists of a series of literature that collectively portray the United States as an inherently racist nation built upon white supremacy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

These States Ban CRT by Law:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arkansas\u2014Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson on May 3 allowed\u00a0Senate Bill 627to become law without his signature. The law bans state entities, which do not include public schools or colleges, from training employees about \u201cdivisive concepts\u201d such as that Arkansas or the United States is \u201cfundamentally racist or sexist.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Idaho\u2014House Bill 377, which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Brad Little on April 28, declares that the tenets of CRT \u201cexacerbate and inflame divisions\u201d on the basis of sex, race, and other criteria in ways contrary to the well-being of the citizens of Idaho and the United States. The law bans public colleges and schools from directing or otherwise compelling students to \u201cpersonally affirm, adopt, or adhere\u201d to any of those tenets.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iowa\u2014Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, on June 8 signed into law\u00a0House File 802, which orders government agencies, including public schools, to not teach, advocate, promote, or act upon \u201cstereotyping, scapegoating, or prejudice toward others on the basis of demographic group membership or identity.\u201d The law also says it does not prevent the use of a school curriculum that teaches the topics of sexism, slavery, racial oppression, segregation, and discrimination.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Hampshire\u2014A much-revised and cut down version of anti-CRT legislation was passed as a part of\u00a0House Bill 2\u00a0and signed into law by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu on June 25, prohibiting the teaching in public schools and workplaces that any individual is \u201cinherently racist, sexist, or oppressive\u201d or should be discriminated against on the basis of race, sex, or gender identity. The original proposal contained a provision that would ban promoting the idea that New Hampshire or the United States is inherently racist.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

North Dakota\u2014On Nov. 12, Republican Gov. Doug Burgum signed into law\u00a0House Bill 1508, a one-page measure requiring that school districts ensure \u201cfactual, objective\u201d instruction for students and \u201cmay not include instruction relating to critical race theory in any portion\u201d of the curriculum that they require or offer. The law defines CRT as \u201cthe theory that racism is not merely the product of learned individual bias or prejudice, but that racism is systemically embedded in American society and the American legal system to facilitate racial inequality.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oklahoma\u2014Under\u00a0House Bill 1775, signed into law on May 7 by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, students attending any of the state\u2019s public colleges and universities cannot be forced to participate in \u201cany form of mandatory gender or sexual diversity training or counseling.\u201d Schools are also required to not teach that any individual is \u201cinherently racist, sexist, or oppressive\u201d due to their race or sex.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

South Carolina\u2014Certain provisions added to the education section of\u00a0the state\u2019s 2021-2022 budget bill\u00a0pull funding from schools using teaching and training materials that promote ideas such as that an individual is \u201cinherently racist, sexist, or oppressive\u201d on the basis of race or sex, or that \u201cfault, blame, or bias\u201d should be assigned to a race or sex. The bill became law on June 30.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tennessee\u2014Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, on May 25 signed into law\u00a0Senate Bill 623, which bans schools from teaching or promoting assertions such as that \u201cthe rule of law does not exist,\u201d \u201cmeritocracy is inherently racist or sexist,\u201d or \u201call Americans are not created equal.\u201d The law also says it doesn\u2019t prohibit discussion of \u201ccontroversial aspects of history,\u201d including historical oppression of a certain race or religious group, so long as they remain \u201cimpartial.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Texas\u2014Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Sept. 17 signed into law\u00a0Senate Bill 3to replace his state\u2019s existing\u00a0anti-CRT law enacted in June. In addition to the ban on concepts such as that any individual is \u201cinherently racist, sexist, or oppressive\u201d by virtue of one\u2019s race or sex, the reworked measure requires at least one teacher and one administrator at each school to undergo a civics training program, and that any teacher who chooses to discuss \u201ca widely debated and currently controversial issue\u201d must explore that topic \u201cobjectively and in a manner free from political bias.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anti-CRT Law in This State Is No Longer Valid<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arizona\u2014Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, signed into law\u00a0House Bill 2898\u00a0on June 30, prohibiting the use of \u201cpublic monies for instruction that presents any form of blame or judgment on the basis of race, ethnicity or sex\u201d in prek-12 education programs and setting a $5,000 fine for violations. The Arizona Supreme Court on Nov. 2 upheld a trial court ruling that the bill was invalid, saying that the state constitution doesn\u2019t allow bills containing multiple subjects.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lawmakers in These States Have Proposed Measures to Ban CRT:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alabama\u2014Two bills have been pre-filed for the upcoming 2022 legislative session.\u00a0House Bill 8\u00a0would ban public schools and colleges from teaching CRT or punishing students for not supporting or accepting CRT concepts.\u00a0House Bill 11<\/a>\u00a0would require public schools and colleges to fire employees who teach CRT or \u201cclassify students based on race or sex.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alaska\u2014Republican state Rep. Thomas Mckay pre-filed a to-be numbered bill that would ban schools from allowing students to be \u201cinstructed in, adopt, or adhere to\u201d the tenets of CRT. It would also ban the teaching of the 1619 Project.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Florida\u2014Republican state Rep. Randy Fine in September introduced\u00a0House Bill 57\u00a0that would ban the use of \u201cdivisive concepts\u201d in teaching and training in all public schools and colleges, state agencies, county, and municipal governments, and private government contractors.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kentucky\u2014Bill Request 60, a pre-filed measure for the upcoming 2022 legislative session,\u00a0would\u00a0ban teachers from using learning materials that promote \u201cdivision between or resentment of\u201d different groups of people based on race, sex, religion, and class. It would also ban concepts such as that Kentucky or the United States are \u201cfundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Louisiana\u2014House Bill 564, introduced by Republican state Rep. Ray Garofalo in April,\u00a0would prohibit\u00a0all schools and colleges from teaching a series of \u201cdivisive concepts\u201d including that racial equity should be prioritized over the equal treatment of all people.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maine\u2014Republican state Rep. Meldon Carmichael in February introduced\u00a0House Paper 395, which would prohibit public school teachers from engaging in \u201cpolitical, religious or ideological advocacy\u201d in the classroom, segregating students according to race, or \u201csingling out one racial group of students as responsible for the suffering or inequities experienced by another racial group of students,\u201d with penalties for violations up to and including termination of the teacher.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Michigan\u2014Two bills are currently in committees.\u00a0Senate Bill 460\u00a0would ban \u201canti-American and racist theories\u201d such as that the United States is a fundamentally racist nation, that the U.S. Constitution is a fundamentally racist document, or that certain races are fundamentally oppressive or oppressed.\u00a0House Bill 5097\u00a0would require that the state\u2019s model core academic curriculum content standards do not include \u201cany form of race or gender stereotyping.\u201d It is almost certain that Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would veto the bills should any of them reach her desk.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Missouri\u2014Under\u00a0House Bill 952,\u00a0schools and colleges could lose state funding if they implement any racial or social justice-centered curricula, including, but not limited to, the 1619 Project, Learning for Justice of the Southern Poverty Law Center, We Stories, programs by Educational Equity Consultants, BLM at School, Teaching for Change, and Zinn Education Project.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Jersey\u2014Republican state Sens. Michael Testa and Joe Pennacchio in November introduced\u00a0Senate Bill 4166, which would ban key CRT concepts from being taught in the classroom, and would require public school teachers to present \u201cmaterials supporting both sides of a controversial issue.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

New York\u2014Introduced in August by Republican Assemblyman Colin Schmitt,\u00a0Assembly Bill 8253\u00a0is a one-page bill that would ban courses that teach students to bear collective responsibilities or feel collective guilt for actions committed previously by people of the same race, or courses that teach students to discriminate base on race. It would also ban schools from requiring students or employees to learn or study the 1619 Project.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

North Carolina\u2014Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, on Sept. 10 vetoed\u00a0House Bill 324,\u00a0which would have banned\u00a0public schools from teaching ideas such as that an individual is \u201cinherently racist, sexist or oppressive\u201d based on his or her race or sex.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ohio\u2014House Bill 322\u00a0and 327\u00a0would prohibit public schools from teaching \u201cdivisive concepts\u201d such as that \u201cmembers of one race cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race,\u201d or accepting private funding for any curriculum that promotes those concepts. They would also ban extra credit for political advocacy work.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pennsylvania\u2014House Bill 1532\u00a0would prohibit\u00a0public schools\u00a0and colleges from\u00a0promoting or teaching \u201cracist or sexist concepts,\u201d including hosting a speaker who advocates those concepts. It would also grant the state attorney general authority to investigate any complaint filed by a Pennsylvania resident and suspend state funding for the institution found in violation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rhode Island\u2014The Republicans-sponsored\u00a0House Bill 6070\u00a0sought to mandate that any publicly funded contract, grant, or training program include provisions prohibiting teaching \u201cdivisive concepts\u201d and prohibit making any individual \u201cfeel discomfort, guilty, anguish or any distress\u201d on account of their race or sex. The bill died in committee.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

West Virginia\u2014Under\u00a0Senate Bill 618, public school teachers would be fired for teaching or training students to believe certain \u201cdivisive concepts,\u201d but could discuss those concepts as part of a larger course of academic instruction in an \u201cobjective manner and without endorsement.\u201d\u00a0House Bill 2595\u00a0would pull state funding from schools that teach or promote \u201cdivisive acts.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wisconsin\u2014Senate Bill 409\u00a0would ban public universities and colleges from teaching students and training employees about \u201crace or sex stereotyping.\u201d\u00a0Senate Bill 410\u00a0would prohibit\u00a0race or sex stereotyping in training provided to employees of local and state governments.\u00a0Senate Bill 411\u00a0would prohibit such concepts from being taught in public schools, with violations resulting in a loss of 10 percent of state funding. It is almost certain that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers would veto these bills should any of them reach his desk.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Governing Boards of Education in These States Have Taken Action Against CRT:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alabama\u2014The\u00a0Alabama State Board of Education in October approved a resolution to ban \u201coffering K-12 instruction that indoctrinates students in social or political ideologies or theories that promote one race or sex above another.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Florida\u2014Under the latest guidelines by the Florida Board of Education, CRT and Holocaust denial are deemed \u201ctheories that distort historical events\u201d and inconsistent with the board\u2019s approved standards. Florida teachers are also not allowed to utilize materials from the 1619 Project, because it describes the American founding as something other than the \u201ccreation of a new nation based largely on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Georgia\u2014In an 11-2 vote on June 3, the Georgia Board of Education approved a resolution stating that the United States \u201cis not a racist country\u201d and that Georgia \u201cis not a racist state.\u201d The board also affirmed in the resolution that it will not support or impart any K-12 public education resources or standards which \u201cindoctrinate students in social, or political, ideology or theory\u201d or \u201cpromote one race or sex above another.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Utah\u2014The Utah State Board of Education on Aug. 3 implemented a set of new rules prohibiting teachers from promoting or endorsing ideas such as that the content of one\u2019s character is determined by his or her race.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Attorneys General of These States Found CRT to Be Unlawful:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arkansas\u2014In an Aug. 16 opinion, Republican Attorney General Leslie Rutledge called CRT a \u201cneo-Marxist ideology that distorts and rewrites history,\u201d and that \u201cinstituting practices based on CRT, professed \u2018anti-racism,\u2019 or associated ideas\u201d can violate federal anti-discrimination laws and the state constitution. Her opinion is non-binding and therefore does not ban teaching CRT in Arkansas schools.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Montana\u2014Attorney General Austin Knudsen, a Republican,\u00a0on May 27 declared\u00a0that the use of CRT and \u201canti-racism\u201d is discriminatory and violates federal and state civil rights law. Any school or public workplace that uses CRT or \u201canti-racist\u201d training could lose funding and may be liable for damages.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Governors of These States Have Encouraged Legislative Action Against CRT:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

South Dakota\u2014Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, was the first high-profile elected official to\u00a0sign the \u201c1776 Action\u201d pledge, a promise to reject progressive activism and CRT from K-12 schools in her state.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mississippi\u2014In his\u00a0budget recommendation for the fiscal year 2023, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves urges state lawmakers to pass an anti-CRT bill to \u201cprevent these destructive lies from being taught in any classroom funded by the taxpayers.\u201d He also proposed a $3 million investment in a \u201cPatriotic Education Fund\u201d to educate students on the \u201cexceptional good\u201d their nation has achieved.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Children hold up signs during a rally against critical race theory being taught in schools at the Loudoun County Government center in Leesburg, Va., on June 12, 2021. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-perplexity","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2461"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2467,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2461\/revisions\/2467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthedays.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}