The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 9, the day before. It now has four pledges from Arnold teachers.
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.
Comments from Arnold teachers included, "I want to equip my students to think critically through controversial material, not shield them from it" and "History is truth, without the true historical facts, it is not history. It is a myth".
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 |
|---|---|
| Christen Santoscoy | My own children and all young people deserve to learn truth--always! |
| David Brady | I want to equip my students to think critically through controversial material, not shield them from it. |
| Katherine Goodell | History is truth, without the true historical facts, it is not history. It is a myth. |
| Sara J. Schmidt | We can't move forward until we know what happened in the past. |
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