Parents speak out against teaching “Critical Race Theory” in El Paso County schools
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Parents of students in El Paso County are asking school districts not to implement Critical Race Theory curriculum.
At the latest District 20 board meeting in Colorado Springs, one parent spoke against this study, which has gained national attention in recent months. Texas lawmakers have introduced a bill banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory.
“Critical race theory only heightens racism,” the parent said at the May 6th board meeting. “[It] is teaching children to hate, it’s teaching children to hate themselves, it’s teaching children to hate others.”
KRDO asked a D20 spokesperson the day of the board meeting if the district planned on implementing this curriculum, they told us as of now there are no plans.
According to Brittanica: "Critical race theorists hold that the law and legal institutions in the United States are inherently racist insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans."
However, Professor Jennifer Ho, who teaches Ethnic Studies and Critical Race Theory at the University of Colorado Boulder, says while part of that definition is true, there is more to it.
"It’s become an academic discipline that has gone beyond the borders of studying law to be essentially a critical look the study of race,” Ho says. We then asked if it was a suitable topic for high schoolers. Professor Ho says that's a complicated answer. "I've been an educator post Ph.D. for nearly 20 years," Ho says. "I have only ever taught critical race theory as a graduate-level class." She says if it were to be taught at the public school level, it would be tough, and not many teachers would be qualified to tackle it.
"Outside of a college classroom people tend not to teach critical race theory because critical race theory is one of those things that somebody who gets a Ph.D. or a law degree has to specialize," Ho says.
