The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 23, the day before. It now has five pledges from Lakeland 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 Lakeland teachers included, "Our students deserve to learn the truth about our history" and "Honest history is important and a critical component in building empathetic students that become world changers".
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 |
|---|---|
| Amber Schumaker | Honest history is important and a critical component in building empathetic students that become world changers. |
| Elizabeth Pisano | Our students deserve to learn the truth about our history. |
| Heather Epps | The truth needs to be told. |
| Joy Collins | No comment |
| Rubianna Perez | As a soon to be history teacher, I believe the students need to know the truth so as to learn from it. |
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