KS Board of Education: critical race theory is misunderstood and not in state standards
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Critical race theory is not in Kansas educational standards and some critics conflate it with educational equity, the Kansas Board of Education said in a statement Wednesday.
The board voted unanimously to issue a statement clarifying its position as GOP officials and politicians call for state and local policies banning what they regard as critical race theory from the classroom.
“Just as we teach our students to be judicious consumers of information, we encourage all Kansans to educate themselves on what critical race theory is and what it isn’t,” the statement said.
It notes that CRT is an “advanced and complex concept” examining the ways laws and systems promote inequality.
Some critics, the board said, are conflating the concept with educational equity, which consists of policies and requirements for measuring fairness and opportunity. The board did not specifically name any state officials.
The statement comes amid a nationwide backlash to the use of critical race theory in the classroom.
For years, critical race theory was a little-known but accepted academic concept, used in colleges and law schools as a framework for understanding the impact of racism on institutions and society.
Over the last couple of years, however, conservatives have adopted the term to broadly condemn serious attempts to discuss systemic racism. Critics contend that CRT teaches children to hate America and pits white children against children of color.
Last month, after an inquiry to the Kansas Board of Regents from Topeka Sen. Brenda Dietrich (R), emailed responses from colleges showed that few offered explicit instruction on CRT.
Legislatures across the country pursued bills this year to limit the teaching of CRT in public schools. While Kansas didn’t take action on the topic, several lawmakers — including Sen. Kellie Warren (R-Leawood), Sen. Caryn Tyson (R-Parker) and Rep. Patrick Penn (R - Wichita) — have said they plan to sponsor legislation on the topic next year.
Jim Porter, the Chair of the State Board of Education, called the proposed legislation another instance of the Legislature interfering with matters that are the responsibility of the state and local school boards.
Earlier this year, the board asked Gov. Laura Kelly to veto two bills which it viewed as overstepping. One would have required gun safety training in school to use the NRA Eddie Eagle program, while another would have mandated that high school students pass the U.S. citizenship test and take a financial literacy test to graduate.
“Standards are our responsibility. Curriculum is the responsibility of local school districts. Neither of which is the responsibility of the Legislature,” Porter said. “The bills will create conflict and local school districts and we will have to determine how we’re going to respond to those conflicts.”
Porter said he did not believe the statement would dissuade the Legislature from moving forward. But he said the board had a responsibility to say something.
“I would hope but I doubt that it will have the appropriate impact or as good an impact as I think it should,” said Jim McNiece, another board member.
Some members of the board worried they had not gone far enough to clarify what teaching is encouraged in Kansas.
An original version of the statement said CRT had also been conflated with “culturally relevant teaching” which recognizes diverse cultures in society and relevance of curriculum.
The reference was removed at the request of board member Deena Hurst, who worried it would only further inflame critics.
Board members Melanie Haas and Ann Mah argued it should be included to articulate what should stay in the classrooms.
“They’re dragging culturally relevant pedagogy into the argument to (say) we shouldn’t even be trying to make history or any class relevant,” Mah said.
This story was originally published July 14, 2021 at 5:21 PM.
