The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 17, the day before. It now has eight pledges from Kent teachers.
They’re one of the thousands of US teachers pledging to continue educating students about the controversial Critical Race Theory, which explains racism is embedded in US culture and politics.
Comments from Kent teachers included, "My students deserve to know the truth" and "Teaching the truth about past and present inequalities is teaching the truth. And we cannot lessen inequality in the future if we do not learn from the past and present".
Though the concept was first suggested in the late 70’s, it has recently exploded as a contentious issue between the American right and left in the last two years.
Many who signed the pledge are defying state bans on the teachings. Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and South Dakota, have denounced the teachings without passing specific legislation.
In an interview with The Washington Free Beacon', Ashley Varner of the Freedom Foundation accused the Zinn Education Project of providing “left-leaning propaganda to teachers.”
| Teachers | Thoughts on Critical Race Theory |
|---|---|
| Chris Carman | We cannot improve our country if we lie to our children about its past. |
| Christopher Carlyle | My students deserve to know the truth. |
| Connie Compton | Truth matters. Facts matter. |
| Jennifer Flaherty | No comment |
| Liz Sugano | All our future generations deserve to know the truth about our countries history so that it isn't repeated. |
| Lynda Holman | No comment |
| Patricia Permetti-Landenberger | I believe the schools are not teaching the truth. |
| Tiffany Taylor | Teaching the truth about past and present inequalities is teaching the truth. And we cannot lessen inequality in the future if we do not learn from the past and present. |
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