No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has three pledges from Natick teachers by the end of the week ending Aug. 28.
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 new Natick teachers included “It is critically important to the future stability of the whole country to convey an accurate history of the U.S. to all our students, and this conversation needs to start in elementary school. It's not only a moral obligation, it's a question of national security now and in the future.” and “Students deserve to know the whole truth about American history... both the good and the bad.”.
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 |
|---|---|
| Jennifer Tumsuden | we need to know our history to learn from it. |
| Smitha Radhakrishnan | It is critically important to the future stability of the whole country to convey an accurate history of the U.S. to all our students, and this conversation needs to start in elementary school. It's not only a moral obligation, it's a question of national security now and in the future. |
| Rick Dumont | Students deserve to know the whole truth about American history... both the good and the bad. |
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