A North Royalton resident addressed the North Royalton Board of Education at its May 10 School Board meeting, regarding, among other things, critical race theory indoctrination and provided them with information regarding the subject.
Critical race theory, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, is an “ intellectual movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of color. Critical race theorists hold that the law and legal institutions in the United States are inherently racist insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans.”
On July 13, 2020, Resolution 20 was adopted 12-5 by the Ohio Board of Education, to Condemn Racism and to Advance Equity and Opportunity for Black Students, Indigenous Students and Students of Color. The resolution begins by stating that “as our nation grapples with the hard truths of racism and inequality, we are listening with broken hearts and engaging with determined spirits. We acknowledge that Ohio’s education system has not been immune to these problems, and while we earnestly strive to correct them, we have a great deal of work left to do. . . .Equity is our plan’s greatest imperative and number one principle.” The resolution goes on to note that “the State Board of Education directs the Ohio Department of Education to reexamine the Academic Content Standards and Model Curriculums to make recommendations to the State Board of Education as necessary to eliminate bias and ensure that racism and the struggle for equality are accurately addressed.” To view the entire resolution, go to education.ohio.gov/getattachment/State-Board/State-Board-Reports-and-Policies/Equity_Resolution.pdf.aspx?lang=en-US
When asked if there is any curriculum in our district, either current, or future, that in any way is related to critical race theory, North Royalton School Superintendent Greg Gurka stated that, “we teach the academic content standards prescribed by the State of Ohio. We have a textbook that has been adopted by the board of education to use as the primary resource for the instruction in these content standards. Along with that, teachers use many resources to offer various points of view on history. These are resources used to teach the academic content standards, not to teach a particular theory.”
The Ohio State Board of Education’s Statement on Curriculum Recommendations notes that “pursuant to ORC (Ohio Revised Code) 3301.079(B)(3) and 3313.60, it is the responsibility of Ohio’s local boards of education to vet and approve curriculum and educational materials for use in the public schools within their district. The use of any materials posted or linked to on the Ohio Department of Education website, including materials within Ohio’s Learning Standards or Appendices or any state model curricula or other educational resource material, is entirely up to the discretion of each local board of education.”
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer