Letter: Where do school leaders stand on CRT?

Posted 9/17/21

The time for diplomatic nuance and PC deference is past.

I stand opposed to critical race theory (CRT) ideology infiltrating the public school curriculum. It is divisive, destructive and …

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Letter: Where do school leaders stand on CRT?

Posted

The time for diplomatic nuance and PC deference is past.

I stand opposed to critical race theory (CRT) ideology infiltrating the public school curriculum. It is divisive, destructive and dangerous. We must not allow our children to be indoctrinated into this Marxist ideology.

Every parent and taxpayer have the right to know exactly where each Bristol Warren Regional School District school committee member and administrator stands of the issue of CRT. Are they friend or foe? Do they support or oppose it becoming part of our school district’s curriculum?

Finding out where they stand is not as easy as asking them. Indeed, you are not even allowed to ask them the question at a school committee meeting.

I was not allowed to speak to this issue or speak at all at the school committee meeting held on Aug. 16. The Chair accused me of interrupting the meeting and barred me from speaking. She and I disagreed on what constitutes an interruption. Not everyone is accustomed to public speaking. I simply tried to help speakers be heard and understood by meeting attendees.

I addressed what I had to say the next day via email and asked each committee member and Assistant Superintendent Diane Sanna the question: “With respect to CRT, are you friend of foe?”

I was able to speak at the next committee meeting held on Aug. 30. I restated essentially what I had said in my earlier email as follows:

CRT is an issue of national concern among parents everywhere. Parents and taxpayers are deeply concerned about it infecting their children’s curriculum, as am I. It may have already found its way into the district curriculum. By now every committee member and administrator should know enough about CRT to have formed an opinion as to its merits.

I asked each of you via email whether you were a friend or foe of CRT. I told each of you that parents and taxpayers have an absolute right to know where you stand on the issue. To date, no one has replied to my email. Your failure to reply is telling in and of itself.

At the most recent committee meeting held on Aug. 30, I attempted to ask each administrator and committee member if they were a friend or foe of CRT and whether they supported or opposed CRT becoming engrained into the curriculum.  Before anyone could answer me, the chair and school’s legal counsel interrupted and stated that a member of the public is not allowed to ask questions of the committee or administration during the public speaking session.

So now, I have another question. How are members of the public (parent or taxpayer) ever to find out where an appointed or elected school official stands on an issue of public concern and importance? Apparently, we are not even allowed to ask the question.

Peter Hewett
Bristol

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