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Critical race theory pushes toward front line of culture wars

School board fights get furious

EDUCATION

BY EMILY ZANTOW THE WASHINGTON he “took an interest” in a company that the district
TIMES paid to conduct a systemic equity assessment.

Critical race theory, a reframing of U.S. history that Through a Freedom of Information Act request, Mr.
puts racism at the center of the American experience, Prior learned that the school system had paid The
has exploded in recent months from obscure Equity Collaborative more than $420,000 for the
academic debate to furious national argument playing assessment. The discovery, he said, “turned a few
out at school board meetings, in courtrooms and on heads.”
social media.
As part of the assessment, the company asked
In Las Vegas, a charter school is being sued over Loudoun County students, parents and teachers about
claims that a curriculum is linked to the “woke” take their experiences based on racial, social and cultural
on America’s troubled racial past. Proponents of the factors. Results published in June 2019 show that top
curriculum say critical race theory is long overdue. concerns included poverty, academic expectations,
disciplinary practices and the way the district deals
In Philadelphia, a parent opposed to teachings of with the learning disabled. The No. 1 concern,
critical race theory started a Facebook group last year according to The Equity Collaborative, was racism.
called No Left Turn in Education. The group has
accumulated more than 36,000 members. “And I found it really interesting that, you know, this
was a company that one of their frameworks was
Critics say critical race theory is little more than a critical race theory and that it basically informed how
divisive anti-American update of Marxism — based they approached their work with schools,” Mr. Prior
on faulty scholarship, to boot. said.

In Essex Junction, Vermont, concerned parents held a The school district has used the assessment to form a
rally last week against teaching critical race theory in comprehensive equity plan, which Superintendent
schools. Scott Ziegler insists does not include critical race
theory.
Lawmakers in Idaho,
“LCPS has not adopted Critical Race Theory as a
Oklahoma, Tennessee and at least 10 other states framework for staff to adhere to,” Mr. Ziegler wrote
have proposed or passed bills this year to limit or in a post on the district’s website this year. “In
prohibit critical race theory in schools. Florida Gov. explaining LCPS’ equity priorities, it might be
Ron De-Santis, a Republican, vowed this month to helpful to state what they are not. They are not an
get every “political apparatus involved so we can effort to indoctrinate students and staff into a
make sure there’s not a single school board member particular philosophy or theory.”
who supports critical race theory.”
Nonetheless, Mr. Prior and other opponents of critical
Against a nationwide backdrop of calls for racial and race theory have become regulars at school board
social justice after George Floyd’s death in the meetings. They formed a political action committee
custody of Minneapolis police last year, schools, in April called Fight for Schools to try to oust six of
corporations and elected leaders on the left have the nine board members who they say are “infecting”
scrambled to embrace critical race theory. schools with critical race theory.

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Mr. DeSantis and other conservatives, however, reject “What I hope comes from, really, this whole
critical race theory’s most provocative assertion: that movement is that parents everywhere unite [and]
systemic racism favoring Whites is baked into form organizations that can be representative bodies
American government, society and culture. that have this seat at the table with school boards,”
Mr. Prior said.
Proponents say critical race theory offers a more
honest perspective of America’s founding. Purdue Most states allow for recall elections, but Virginia
University said in a statement that it “attempts to runs the process through a circuit court, where a jury
demonstrate not only how racism continues to be a makes decisions.
pervasive component throughout dominant society,
but also why this persistent racism problematically Lawyer Charles King told The Times that he was
denies individuals many of the constitutional hired to represent school board member Beth Barts
freedoms they are otherwise promised in the United against a removal petition.
States’ governing documents.”
“There is no getting around the fact [that] this fake
Loudoun County, Virginia, has come into the national outrage is an attempt to stop LCPS from
spotlight in recent months as a key battleground in implementing mandatory inclusive and culturally
the debate over critical race theory. responsive policies and practices,” Mr. King said.
“When this is over, I hope the public sees there are
Ian Prior, a parent in the affluent exurb of the District adults in the room and smear politics is not how we
of Columbia, is leading a petition drive to remove run our [government].”
school board members pushing critical race theory.
He said the local movement likely grew out of At least 50 efforts to recall members of public school
pandemic-related school closures. boards have been launched nationwide this year,
according to the Ballotpedia Mid-Year Recall Report.
“Parents are seeing what their kids are learning
through distance learning, and they’re getting a look Mr. Prior said the Loudoun County petition drive is
behind the curtain,” Mr. Prior told The Washington “a bit of a microcosm” of the national debate.
Times.
“I think it sends a message to the rest of the country
Mr. Prior, who writes an occasional column in The that, you know, this is what’s going to happen in the
Times, is a media executive who has worked for the country if parents don’t get control of what’s going
Justice Department in the Trump administration and on at their local schools,” he said.
for the National Republican Congressional
Committee.

Last summer, he and other parents began speaking

out at school board meetings against Loudoun
County Public Schools’ closures. Concerns about the
coronavirus shifted to critical race theory in the fall
after

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