School board races, once sleepy and localized, have become the new front in a culture war raging across the nation as resentments over COVID-19 restrictions and racist curriculum reach a boiling point.
Today, voters weigh in on dozens of races that have been dominated by debates over masks, vaccines, race and history.
The political tracking website Ballotpedia has identified 76 school districts in 22 states where candidates took a stance on race in education or critical race theory, which holds that racism is systemic in America's institutions.
1776 Action, a group that has been urging candidates to sign a pledge calling for the restoration of "honest, patriotic education." At least 300 candidates and elected officials have done so, said Adam Waldeck, the group's president.
"I think anybody that's running was probably to a degree tipped over by COVID," said Jim McMullen, who is among three candidates the group is backing in the Blue Valley district in suburban Kansas City. The former English teacher and father of five had considered running before the pandemic but finally decided to mount a bid after the district went virtual and hybrid for parts of last year.
