Critical race theory won’t be included in Louisiana’s social studies standards, official says
Critical race theory won't be included in Louisiana's social studies standards, official says
Setting up a key vote, state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley on Tuesday put his imprint on proposed new social studies standards for public schools and said there is nothing in his plan that would “indoctrinate” students on the nation’s racial history.
“I have been clear about this for some time that CRT (critical race theory) would not be included in our standards,” Brumley said in an interview.
“And also we would be cognizant that nothing in the standards could open the door for any form of indoctrination,” he added.
How the nation’s racial history is taught has been one of the buzzwords around the revisions, which began 14 months ago.
It also is expected to be a topic during the regular legislative session that begins March 14.
During a public hearing in July some parents charged that the new benchmarks would inject critical race theory, which has been described as the view that the legacy of White supremacy remains in today’s society through laws and institutions.
Brumley said his view of critical race theory is that it is anything that prompts classroom talks solely around the lens of race.
Other say the worries are overblown and that some of the criticism is a bid to downplay slavery and other grim chapters in both Louisiana’s and the nation’s history.
“Even with the desire to ensure that CRT isn’t represented I feel like we paid special attention to making sure we captured multiple historical experiences and certainly the experiences of people of color over the history of the nation,” Brumley said.
The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is scheduled to vote on the standards during its March 8-9 meeting.
Whether the benchmarks will generate more controversy then is unclear.
The issue has sparked little public controversy in recent months, especially after it generated heated arguments during public hearings last summer.
Jim Garvey, president of the board, said Tuesday the latest revisions are well balanced and a major improvement over the initial version.
Garvey also said that, while what critical race theory means elicits different views, the latest standards steer clear of the issue.
“The current document also addresses African American history in significantly greater detail than our previous standards, even in greater detail than what was proposed a couple of months ago,” he said.
