The pledge was signed by no teachers on April 20, the day before. It now has one pledge from Van Buren 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 Van Buren teacher wrote "The goal of social studies education is to prepare young citizens for critical thinking and organizational and civic decision making. This cannot be done if social studies classrooms are prohibited from discourse around current events and divisive issues. All perspectives must be considered for human and social development." 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 |
|---|---|
| Art Lewandowski | The goal of social studies education is to prepare young citizens for critical thinking and organizational and civic decision making. This cannot be done if social studies classrooms are prohibited from discourse around current events and divisive issues. All perspectives must be considered for human and social development. |
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