The pledge was signed by six teachers the month before. It now has six pledges from Peoria teachers by June.
They are 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.
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. Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and Georgia, have denounced the teachings and are discussing a ban on critical race theory teachings.
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 |
|---|---|
| Chelsea Charlton | “no comment” |
| Melissa Girmscheid | “no comment” |
| Tina Sanders | We can not change our current situation without learning from our past. |
| Kaitlin Griffin | Students deserve the truth. |
| Breanna Malmos | “no comment” |
| Paige Dehaan | “no comment” |
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