No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has five pledges from Menlo Park 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 |
|---|---|
| Joshua Zucker | “no comment” |
| Andrew Slater | The whole point of teaching history is to teaach the truth about our country's history so we can understand how we got here, why we have injustices, what has worked to make the country better over the years. We are not teaching people to hate America, in fact we are teaching them to love their country enough to make it better! |
| Audrey Cashen | it is imperative that we teach our children to be independent, critical thinkers. |
| Andrea Reyna | “no comment” |
| Anne Olson | “no comment” |
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