Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion Few policies have united Americans of diverse politics, backgrounds, and ethnicities more than Critical Race Theory: They want it banned for the corrosive and racist tripe that it is.
Parent protests at school board meetings have received a great deal of attention, and examples of parents fighting school boards are streaming throughout social media. Teachers are protesting against these polices, and at least one has quit rather than be forced to teach this odious material. Parental efforts to reveal curriculum and instruction details, such as the work of Nichole Solas to gather information on lessons being taught within her Rhode Island School district, are being applauded and replicated by other parents.
This truly grassroots effort has now hit the San Diego area. This week, San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) parents held a rally to stop the teaching of Critical Race Theory.
The “Californians for Equal Rights” foundation has called for action, along with San Diego Unified parents to protest the district’s multimillion dollar proposal to promote “critical race theory.”
KUSI’s Teresa Sardina joined viewers live from the Board of Education Building where the rally was underway.
Frank Xu, Board President of the Californians for Equal Rights foundation, joined the rally to oppose the district spending $77 million on teaching the district’s student to be antiracist through an “ethnic studies program.”
Ethnic studies and racial equity would be mandated for graduation. The area parents are protesting, as well as contacting the SDUSD board members to stop race-based instruction that is divisive and distracts from teaching of more useful and critical subjects.
Parent Jose Velasquez was interviewed by a KUSI reporter, sharing his concerns about the program.
“If they are teaching about racism, how are they going to teach it in the schools?…They want to learn. That’s why they have parents, to teach their kids right from wrong. Now the district wants to be the parent and teach you about race theories in the course.
…If the district is really about uniting the kids, then get this course out of the way.
A little earlier this month, a group parents in nearby Poway held a protest at a school district meeting to voice their concerns about how racial equity is taught in school.
Thursday’s protest comes as at least 16 states are considering or have signed into law bills that would limit the teaching of certain ideas linked to “critical race theory,” which seeks to reframe the narrative of American history. Its proponents argue that federal law has preserved the unequal treatment of people on the basis of race and that the country was founded on the theft of land and labor.
Those states include Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
Teachers and professors in Idaho will be prevented from “indoctrinating” students on race. Oklahoma teachers will be prohibited from saying certain people are inherently racist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. Tennessee schools will risk losing state aid if their lessons include particular concepts about race and racism.
Poway Unified School District Chief Communications Officer Christine Paik said that the district wasn’t teaching Critical Race Theory, and the parents are confusing the Racial Equity and Inclusion program that has been implemented.
“Yes, we have been working on racial equity and inclusion over the past year, according to our board resolution and our plan that we worked with our students , staff and community to implement. Part of that work includes fostering understanding and respect so that each and every one of our students feels accepted and valued at our school. That is not Critical Race Theory.
It is disappointing to find that some people are misinformed.”
It is troubling that Paik clearly brands the very reasonable concerns of the Poway parents as “misinformation.” Clearly, the school bureaucrats are unused to parents pushing back on progressive agendas.
While I hesitate to make more predictions about election results, I believe that there will be many new school board members in the near future, and their chief agenda item will be ending the tyranny of race-based curriculum.
