Parents in an affluent Virginia suburb want to recall six school board members they say pushed critical race theory – and stood by as moms and dads who questioned its concepts were vilified.
A fiery ad released on social media Tuesday accused Loudoun County Public Schools of training teachers that Christians are oppressors and teaching children about their “white privilege” and “white fragility.”
“For over a year, Loudoun County children and parents have struggled with school closures and distance learning,” a narrator says in the ad, paid for by the group Fight for Schools.
“But the Loudoun County school board put their focus elsewhere: infecting our schools with critical race theory.”
The debate over critical race theory drew national attention to the county when law enforcement reportedly launched an investigation into claims a private Facebook group targeted parents opposed to its concepts.
A member of the group, called “anti-racist parents of Loudoun County,” was said to have shared a list of enemies that were parents opposed to critical race theory.
Some parents railed against the board at Tuesday night’s school board meeting, including a black woman with children in the district who described CRT as “racist.”
“CRT is not an honest dialogue it is a tactic that was used by Hitler and the Ku Klux on slavery very many years ago to dumb down my ancestors so we could not think for ourselves,” she said.
She asked the school board to ban CRT.
“You cannot tell me what is or is not racist: Look at me,” she said.
“I had to come down here today to tell you to your face that we are coming together and we are strong.”
District spokesman Wayde Byard told The Post that CRT is not part of the school’s curriculum and he pointed to a March statement from interim superintendent Scott Ziegler. It noted a recent training of teachers included a discussion of systemic racism and bias.
“They are not an effort to indoctrinate students and staff into a particular philosophy or theory,” the statement read.
“What they are is an effort to provide a welcoming, inclusive, affirming environment for all students.”
To hold a recall in the state, a petition must be filed with signatures of at least 10 percent of the number of people who voted in the last election for the seat.
Acceptable reasons for a recall under law are neglect of duty, misuse of office or incompetence in performance. A trial then follows.
The school district had earlier faced controversy when it de-emphasized Dr. Seuss from Read Across America Day over concerns of racial depictions in his work. Read Across America Day is celebrated on Seuss’ birthday, March 2.