The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 23, the day before. It now has one pledge from Olathe teacher.
They’re one of the thousands of US teachers pledging to continue educating students about the controversial Critical Race Theory, which explains racism is embedded in US culture and politics.
The Olathe teacher wrote "It is important for students to understand the consequences which the choices of groups of individuals have had all of us. The decisions made by the founders of our nation, the practices and beliefs they adhered to influenced the document designing our nation. Why would we want to hide any part of our past which we must examine closely in order to learn from it and move forward?" when pledging to teach Critical Race Theory.
Though the concept was first suggested in the late 70’s, it has recently exploded as a contentious issue between the American right and left in the last two years.
Many who signed the pledge are defying state bans on the teachings. Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and South Dakota, have denounced the teachings without passing specific legislation.
In an interview with The Washington Free Beacon', Ashley Varner of the Freedom Foundation accused the Zinn Education Project of providing “left-leaning propaganda to teachers.”
| Teachers | Thoughts on Critical Race Theory |
|---|---|
| Ashley Weber | It is important for students to understand the consequences which the choices of groups of individuals have had all of us. The decisions made by the founders of our nation, the practices and beliefs they adhered to influenced the document designing our nation. Why would we want to hide any part of our past which we must examine closely in order to learn from it and move forward? |
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