Against a backdrop of schools oppose curriculum transparency and Parents Bill of Rights legislation, comes a reminder that 18 Kansas teachers signed a pledge to continue teaching the tenets of Critical Race Theory regardless of local or state prohibitions against the controversial instruction, according to reporting in The Daily Wire. Their pledge to continue teaching the tenets of CRT (which the pledge describes in a collection of euphemisms) contradicts claims by the State School Board, Department of Education, and local officials that CRT is not in Kansas schools.
Over 4,000 teachers nationwide have signed a pledge, created by the Zinn Education Project, named after historian Howard Zinn, reads in part:
“Lawmakers in at least 35 states are attempting to pass legislation that would require teachers to lie to students about the role of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and oppression throughout U.S. history.
The Zinn Education Project makes no bones about ‘flipping the script’ on history. The Washington Examiner says its founder, Howard Zinn, is “a Marxist historian who served as a foot soldier in the Communist Party.”
Teachers in Kansas signing the pledge and their city of residence:
- Kurt Schlanker, Atchison
- Hallie Kristalyn, Garden City
- Matthew Peterson, Kansas City
- Diane Welchhans, Lawrence
- Jessica Mills, Leawood
- Kim Hett, Lindsborg
- Collin LaJoie, Mission
- Harmony Gerlach, Newton
- Ashley Weber, Olathe
- Susan Gittinger, Overland Park
- Carrie Paulette, Elizabeth Ault, and Michael Rebne, Roeland Park
- Kristie Hudson, Stilwell
- Andrea Boyack and Jose Marquez, Topeka
- Jonathan Albers and Ramona Becker, Wichita
The Sentinel reached out to education officials with the Kansas Association of School Boards and the state chapter of the National Education Association for comment, but they declined.
House Education Committee Chairman Steve Huebner was asked if the teachers’ action would build momentum for the proposed Parent’s Bill of Rights legislation as well as the School Choice movement:
“I believe it would. It also highlights the need for local school boards to show leadership, work with parents, and properly respond to teachers when needed.”
