TAMPA, Fla. — With the debate over school masks waning in much of Florida, conservative activists have again turned their attention to rooting out “critical race theory” in classrooms.
Many have changed their approach from earlier this year as they show up at meetings to confront school boards.
Rather than offer general criticisms like how schools are “teaching victimhood,” speakers have begun focusing on specific programs that they suggest violate the state’s rule banning certain lessons. The strategy has placed a new focus on educational practices that have been around for years, largely unchallenged by the public.
Picking up on comments by Gov. Ron DeSantis, many activists are using the term “critical race theory” as a catchall to describe a broad set of practices aimed at focusing public schools on the needs of a diverse student body. Among their targets are programs that encourage equity and anti-racism, and work to reduce unconscious bias in the classroom.
Those initiatives are not the same as the formal teaching of critical race theory found at some universities, which school district officials have taken pains to explain is not part of their curriculum.
But while they may be unfamiliar with the details, the people showing up to speak say they’re simply looking for answers — and school board members who will listen to their concerns.
DeSantis recently stressed the importance of this subject ahead of the 2022 elections, which include his gubernatorial reelection bid.
“We’ve got school board races,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Sept. 29 when asked about his plans for running. “I want to make sure people are not supporting critical race theory, making sure that parents have the ability to send their kids to school they way they want to.”
His backers are carrying the message forward.
At an Oct. 5 Pasco County School Board meeting, for instance, a handful of residents took issue with the district’s revised five-year Success Plan. They homed in on a bullet point calling for the district to “promote consistent, equitable, fair and respectful practices; engage in improvement methods for equity; and provide equity-focused professional learning to all stakeholders.”
“I’m just a little disturbed,” parent Sherra Stevanus said, referring to the document’s call for more minority teachers. “This sounds very racist and discriminating.”
Board members defended the need, citing data, and approved the updates.
About a dozen people tried in late September to convince the Pinellas County School Board to postpone more than $1 million in purchases relating to teacher evaluations and training. They suggested the items might advance principles that state officials have declared off limits.
These included materials from the Leader In Me program by Franklin Covey, perhaps best known for its Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and iObservation software from Learning Sciences International. Speakers said they had not seen the actual materials, but when they researched the companies, they found information that sparked concerns.
For instance, the Covey website included a section focused on “Racism, Diversity and Equity.” In it, president Sean Covey wrote about his group’s commitment to inclusion and equity, and its creation of training on unconscious bias.
“Every human being has immeasurable worth and potential, and it is our privilege and responsibility as educators to communicate that — especially to the children we work with who are so vulnerable and impressionable,” he wrote.
