Elkhart Community Schools Forced To Issue Statement On Critical Race Theory, But …
You know we’ve been talking about CRT for a while on my show. You know we’ve had a large focus on PHM schools’ CRT (or as they like to call it SEL) curriculum. I’ve also told you that Elkhart Community Schools, South Bend School Corporation, and other local school districts are implementing CRT this next school year. These are the facts. I have the curriculum, the documents, the witnesses. A common tactic is to hide CRT curriculum by not labeling it CRT and by only cherry-picking parts of the collegiate CRT curriculum to teach in public schools. A rose by any other name is still a rose.
PHM parents are organized and have been very effective at generating attention for this issue. My radio show and Real News Michiana led the way with coverage of what was happening at Penn. Parents called into my show and sent me documents proving CRT was, in fact, being taught at Penn High School. Real News Michiana went further and obtained the curriculum. Penn then lied about CRT being taught in their schools. That lie was exposed. Now they are on a media blitz trying to ‘clarify’ what’s being taught. Penn also issued a public notice of a public commentary hearing on the issue in the middle of my show as we discussed it. PHM parents and faculty led the way with only two media outlets (RNM and me) covering the story. That exposure forced other outlets to finally take notice and cover it, but only from a PHM friendly angle. Many outlets didn’t even reach out to the parent group fighting CRT in PHM schools.
I’ve also been telling you I have sources inside other school districts who are exposing CRT all around Michiana.
Earlier this week I told you about the video being used for Elkhart Community Schools faculty orientation. That movie, Segregated By Design, was show to ECS faculty for orientation this year. The movie is by The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America author Richard Rothstein. Rothstein has been roundly criticized for years for his rewriting of American history. Faculty were also led in various ‘antiracist’ activities portraying whites as inherently bad and oppressive. These are the people who are tasked with teaching your kids. Good news is that many of them are not on board with CRT propaganda in school. Bad news is that many are.
Less than two days after my segment on CRT in Elkhart schools, ECS sent this email out to parents:
Elkhart Community Schools Statement: Critical Race Theory
ECS Families,
In a recent letter sent to principals and superintendents by Indiana‘s Secretary of Education, Dr. Katie Jenner, Dr. Jenner sought to clarify the position of the Indiana Department of Education regarding the teaching of critical race theory. She wrote that critical race theory is not appropriate for K-12 students and Indiana schools should not be teaching it. Elkhart Community Schools agrees and aligns our efforts for educational equity with the Indiana Department of Education. In addition, Elkhart Community Schools aligns with the Indiana Attorney General’s “Parent Bill of Rights.”
Elkhart Community Schools believes in:
The Elkhart Promise: Every student is known by name, challenged and supported by highly effective staff, and in partnership with the community will graduate career/college ready and life ready.
Helping our families understand how school works and providing access to resources to help ensure student success.
Building relationships with students and families to help our students learn, grow, and master curriculum.
Prioritizing the academic success of our students, while recognizing and supporting students’ social and emotional needs.
Alignment with IDOE curriculum standards related to Social-Emotional Learning and Employability Skills, including the five core social emotional learning standards to foster the development of the following cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains: self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
An expectation for student behavior that centers on positive support for the characteristics represented in the PRIDE acronym: Persistence, Respect, Initiative, Dependability, and Efficiency.Fully supporting Elkhart’s diverse communities and acknowledging that all Elkhart students benefit from learning a full and factual account of our country’s historical events, shortcomings, and progress aligned with Indiana state standards for curriculum.
Guaranteeing every student a challenging, fair, and equitable education, not only helping them reach growth expectations on State Academic Standards, but also developing their knowledge, talents, skills, and mindsets to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world.
Knowing students by name is individualized and personal. Any effort to lump people into a collective group and attribute characteristics to that group based on generalizations or stereotypes has no place in Elkhart Community Schools. Staff are not to teach curricula outside of the district adopted curriculum connected to state standards as outlined by the IDOE; consequences for employment can result from doing so. Efforts we take as educators to build understanding need to be rooted in reflection and respect and restoration of the individual with the goal of doing our best for each person’s unique dignity. Therefore, as a district, Elkhart Community Schools has not adopted nor will not endorse Critical Race Theory.
Please see the following video statement from Dr. Steve Thalheimer, Superintendent of Schools: ECS Statement regarding Critical Race Theory
On the surface, this looks good. If nothing else, parents and faculty who’ve express concern about CRT principles being taught in Elkhart schools have forced ECS to address it publicly. They couldn’t sit quietly and not address the issue anymore.
The problem is that INDOE curriculum has SEL in it. SEL is what Penn used to push CRT principles in the classroom. We know SEL can be a vessel for CRT. Elkhart schools saying they won’t teach CRT but will teach SEL shouldn’t be an automatic comfort.
In the case of PHM, they used SEL to promote CRT principles and to promote Robin D’Angelo who authored the book White Fragility. Spend five minutes looking at how awful that book and her philosophy is. PHM also used SEL to promote Ibram Kendi, a bigot and noted promoter of expanding discrimination towards white people.
While ECS has been put on notice that parents and faculty are paying attention and will not stand for students being abused, and make no mistake, CRT is abuse, I’m only cautiously optimistic. Forgive my hesitancy to trust the word of Dr. Steve Thalheimer after he lied to and then attacked parents after the school referendum failed.
I hope my distrust is misplaced.