The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 12, the day before. It now has one pledge from Ash Grove 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 Ash Grove teacher wrote "As a professional educator and historian for the past twenty years, I have always presented the facts to my students at the age appropriate level and with a sense of compassion and truth. I believe the second we do not address what truly happened to our country in its history, we no longer can appreciate the hard fought gains by all people of our country, whether white, black, Latino, or Indigenous." 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 |
|---|---|
| Melissa Blank | As a professional educator and historian for the past twenty years, I have always presented the facts to my students at the age appropriate level and with a sense of compassion and truth. I believe the second we do not address what truly happened to our country in its history, we no longer can appreciate the hard fought gains by all people of our country, whether white, black, Latino, or Indigenous. |
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