The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 19, the day before. It now has four pledges from Gainesville teachers.
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.
Comments from Gainesville teachers included, "These laws and policies are restrictive to teachers and schools and discriminatory to people of color! This is racism and we cannot afford to have whole school systems lying to students about our country’s past, present, or future!" and "When government dictates what should be taught in schools... education becomes a propagandist agenda. On that note, we might as well abandon topics like evolution and push fundamental religious beliefs".
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 |
|---|---|
| Christina Etherington | When government dictates what should be taught in schools... education becomes a propagandist agenda. On that note, we might as well abandon topics like evolution and push fundamental religious beliefs. |
| Erin Chumbler | Our children deserve to grow up in a country that recognizes and learns from its mistakes. |
| Jon Mundorf | No comment |
| Nicole Weingart | These laws and policies are restrictive to teachers and schools and discriminatory to people of color! This is racism and we cannot afford to have whole school systems lying to students about our country’s past, present, or future! |
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