No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has five pledges from San Luis Obispo teachers by the end of the week ending Aug. 14.
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 new San Luis Obispo teacher wrote “My students deserve to be empowered by the truth. They deserve to analyze history and current struggles so that they can participate in society with a clear and just vision for the future.” 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 |
|---|---|
| Kalea Conrad | “no comment” |
| Stephanie Lee | The children and citizens of the United States of America deserve a full education of this country's history; including it's history of oppression of people of color, and people of minority religions and gender/sexual identities and how that has created our nation today. |
| Courtney M. | “no comment” |
| Stefany Gary | “no comment” |
| Loni Kirk | My students deserve to be empowered by the truth. They deserve to analyze history and current struggles so that they can participate in society with a clear and just vision for the future. |
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