CRT 'not promoted' by district

The teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) hasn’t been outright banned by Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2). 

Instead, a resolution passed by the CCSD2 Board of Trustees on October 18 states neither teachers nor staff within the district will promote CRT “or similar ideologies”. The unanimous passage of the resolution comes one month after the board discussed the topic during a September 20 work session at Saratoga Elementary School.

CRT, which began as a legal framework in the 1970s, went largely unnoticed until recently and has become just one of multiple fronts in the ongoing ‘culture war’. In September 2020, the framework was included as “divisive” content in an executive order issued by President Donald Trump excluding diversity and inclusion training for federal contractors which was interpreted as containing “divisive concepts”, “race or sex stereotyping” and “race or sex scapegoating”. As of August 2021, according to the Brooking Institute, CRT was mentioned over 1,000 times in four months by conservative news outlet Fox News.

During the July 21 meeting of the Board of Trustees, former CCSD2 teacher Bob Edwards expressed his concern about CRT. Edwards told the board CRT taught white children to hate themselves and taught non-white children they were victims. He added it went against everything he taught during his 38 years as an educator. Similarly, Encampment resident Byron Barkhurst said on October 18 CRT wasn’t inclusive but segregated and was racist towards white people.

According to a January 11, 2021 article from the American Bar Association (“A Lesson on Critical Race Theory”), CRT “critiques how the social construction of race and institutionalized racism perpetuate a racial caste system that relegates people of color to the bottom tiers.” The author of the article, Janel George, went on to write “CRT recognizes that racism is not a bygone relic of the past. Instead, it acknowledges that the legacy of slavery, segregation and the imposition of second-class citizenship on Black Americans and other people of color continue to permeate the social fabric of this nation”.

Barkhurst, in fact, read from the article before voicing his support for a resolution to address the teaching of CRT in CCSD2 schools. A concern of his was a passage in which George wrote “It (CRT) cannot be confined to a static and narrow definition but is considered to be an evolving and malleable practice”.

At the September 20 work session, Director of Curriculum Noel Manning informed the board he went through both CCSD curriculum and the State of Wyoming education standards—specifically English Language Arts and History—to ensure CRT was not in either. While concern had been expressed then about CRT “creeping” into text books, Manning informed the Board of Trustees the survey history books used by the district were a “natural safeguard” as they did not dwell too long on any particular topic in United States history.

Those same concerns, however, were expressed by board members on October 18.

The resolution, which was co-authored by CCSD2 Superintendent Jim Copeland and Boardmember Joe Gaspari, reads:

Carbon County School District No. 2 Teachers and Staff will not promote Critical Race Theory or similar ideologies nor will the District purchase any curriculum materials, resources or allow presentations that promote Critical Race Theory. CCSD2 believes in promoting the principles and ideals of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and its Amendments.

In discussion about the resolution, Gaspari said “Part of the discussion was, we can’t ignore talking about a subject that is so prevailing in the culture today. Specifically the Critical Race Theory or any other similar ideologies. However, we will not promote, and promote is to support or actively encourage, but then we wanted to include what we would promote.”

Copeland further explained the resolution was worded to allow a teacher the ability to answer a student’s question regarding CRT. He then referenced Policy INB (“Teaching About Controversial Issues”) which was adopted in September 1987 and last reviewed September 2018. The policy defines controversial issues as “those problems, subjects or questions about which there are significant differences of opinion for which there are no easy resolutions and discussions which generally create strong feeling among people.”

The policy also reads “The District acknowledges the right of a teacher to teach about controversial issues insofar as these issues relate or contribute to the attainment of the course objectives”. It further reads the district also acknowledges the rights of students and those rights must also be respected.

In Policy INB, under “Teacher Rights and Responsibilities” it states the teacher has the right to provide instruction in controversial areas and the teacher must present controversial issues with good judgement.

“The teacher also has the obligation to be as objective as possible and to present several aspects of the issues. The teacher also has the right to express personal viewpoints and opinions,” reads the policy. “However, the teacher does not have the right to indoctrinate students.”

While indoctrinate is not defined within the policies of CCSD2, Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word as “to imbue with a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view or principle.”

Prior to the passage of the resolution, Boardmember Karen Condict asked how the resolution would be enforced. Copeland stated all current teachers would be made aware of the resolution and new teachers in the future would be told about it. He added it was up to the principal of each school to handle any parent or student complaint regarding controversial issues, such as CRT.

The next meeting of the Carbon County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees will be at 4 p.m. on November 15 at Encampment K-12 School.