The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 24, the day before. It now has four pledges from Pflugerville 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 Pflugerville teachers included, "The truth matters and our students deserve it!" and "Hiding the truth from children will not make them responsible, critical thinking adults. Teaching a variety of perpectives is necessary for students to take in the entire picture of events and make decisions based on all the information available with consideration for all stakeholders involved. Give students the truth and teach them to think critically about their history and the world".
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 |
|---|---|
| Elizabeth Waldrop | Hiding the truth from children will not make them responsible, critical thinking adults. Teaching a variety of perpectives is necessary for students to take in the entire picture of events and make decisions based on all the information available with consideration for all stakeholders involved. Give students the truth and teach them to think critically about their history and the world. |
| Lisa Bonilla | The truth matters and our students deserve it! |
| Mindy Smith | No comment |
| Walter Miske | No comment |
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