School districts across the country have been debating whether Critical Race Theory should be taught in classrooms.
Associate Professor of History John Hayes at Augusta University said CRT comes out of an academic workshop in the late 80s, but the ideas associated with CRT were first expressed in the early 70s.
“The idea that race is a social construct is the most basic thing,” Hayes said. “It’s woven into the social fabric to the advantage of one group over and against other groups.”
MORE: Richmond County Schools To Offer Online Learning For 2021-2022 School Year
School districts across Georgia and South Carolina have been faced with whether to add classes on Critical Race Theory to the curriculum.
Members of the Georgia State Board of Education voted June 3 against teaching CRT in K-12 classrooms.
State of Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods said, “My commitment is to continue uniting communities, families and educators as we ensure that every child from every zip code will receive a great education and have the ability to access and gain opportunities to accomplish anything.”
That vote was met with support from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
[adrotate banner=”54″]
“I applaud the members of the State Board of Education for making it clear this dangerous, anti-American ideology has no place in Georgia classrooms,” Kemp said.
Kemp added, “With their vote, state school board members have ensured education in the Peach State will reflect the freedom, equality and God-given potential of each individual.”
Leadership in South Carolina echoed the sentiments in Georgia.
One week ago, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said, “It’s certainly not necessary for the education of young people four-years-old all the way up through high school. When you get to college, you get to take a course on almost anything you want and that’s up to you, but I don’t think it has a place in South Carolina, and I don’t think it’s helpful and could be harmful.”
State Superintendent Molly Spearman took to Facebook on June 3 and said CRT has no place in South Carolina classrooms.
“The South Carolina Department of Education has no current or proposed standards that include CRT concepts and will not be adopting any CRT standards nor applying for or accepting any funding that requires or incentivizes the adoption of these concepts in our classrooms,” Spearman said. “We will not provide professional development opportunities or training that seeks to promote CRT amongst South Carolina educators.”
Her post garnered more than 1,000 comments, both pro and con.
[adrotate banner=”22″]
CRT has been discussed multiple times by the Aiken County Board of Education, once at a town hall meeting at Midland Valley High School on May 18 and at board meetings in May and June.
Aiken County BoE Director of Communications Mike Rosier said it was tabled at both meetings.
“It’s not included in our current curriculum and would have to be approved by the state prior to our needing to address it in a future curriculum, so it’s really a non-issue for us outside of the fact that the board was looking at a few courses,” said Rosier.
The response was similar from the Richmond County School System.
MORE: Cyber Workforce Program Comes to Augusta
Spokeswoman Lynthia Ross said, “The Georgia Department of Education has not updated the Georgia Standards of Excellence to include Critical Race Theory. Richmond County School System curriculum adheres to the state standards and directives of the Georgia Department of Education.”
Columbia County’s new superintendent, Dr. Steven Flynt, was out of the office and unavailable for comment.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
[adrotate banner=”49″]
