PLACENTIA, Calif. (KNX) — Members of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified school board will consider a resolution Tuesday to prevent critical race theory from being taught in the district.
Critical race theory is an analytical framework of legal scholarship that examines the intersection of race and justice in the United States. It is generally taught at the law school level, and is not presently included in curricula for any Placentia or Yorba Linda public schools.
But supporters of the ban are convinced the concepts underpinning CRT had invaded classrooms — purportedly saddling white students with guilt over historical wrongs like slavery and Jim Crow regimes, while encouraging students of color to take on victim mindsets.
Opponents of the ban have pushed back on that characterization. "It is simple, CRT has been redefined to mean anything they don’t like," a post to a Facebook group for Placentia and Yorba Linda public school parents read, referring to elements they identified as "regressives" seeking to "undermine the accurate teaching of history" to area children.
The proposal before the board, reportedly tabled by one or more of its five members, would prohibit teachers from including "CRT in any course offerings" and states the district should "uplift and unite students by freeing them of the responsibility of historical transgressions in the past" and "engage students of all cultures in age-appropriate critical thinking that helps students navigate the present and the future."
A spokesperson for the district said its curricula will "continue to be aligned with the California Department of Education’s content standards."
"This will be no different if a majority of the board votes in favor of prohibiting the teaching of CRT," she said.
This is a developing story.
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