No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has two pledges from Meridian teachers by the end of the week ending Sep. 18.
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.
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 |
|---|---|
| MacKenzie Smith | I never learned about Japanese Internment camps in high school even though I live 2 hours from Minidoka. Japanese internment camps are finally in our standards and my students learned about it this year. They appreciate not being lied to, and like me, they know when they have been deceived. we will not go back. I will not lie to my students. I will continue to teach the truth, if you want to teach the kids some twisted version of history be my guest — you make 40k before taxes & insurance in Idaho. Good luck. Until then, my students will learn the truth. |
| MacKenzie Smith | “no comment” |
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