Editor, The Smithfield Times:

Is equity polluting our schools with Critical Race Theory (CRT)? You be the judge.

Isle of Wight County Schools and Coordinator of Equity and Inclusion Kiyaana Cox-Jones have commenced implementing an equity plan that includes training teachers in cultural competencies.

If you are unfamiliar, equity aims for equal outcomes and equality aims for equal opportunities.  Read that again. Sound like socialism?

Information obtained via FOIA requests:

• On Feb. 28, Carrollton Elementary Principal Robert Brennan contacted Cox-Jones regarding a “white” parent who was concerned with the referencing of students and teachers by skin color. Jones referred Brennan to www.teachingwhilewhite.org, a “resource” focused on antiracist teaching and learning. Based off this resource, the parent needs to acknowledge white fragility and “lean into the discomfort.”
• On March 3, Cox-Jones recommended resources for staff equity training, including registration information to attend a presentation by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings advertised as “culturally relevant pedagogy and critical race theory.” Go ahead and research Dr. Ladson-Billings!
• On March 8, an email from IWCS Communications, “{District News} March is Equity in Education Month,” provided www.learningforjustice.org as a resource that says, “Many of my colleagues believe our fourth-graders are too young to hold discussions around issues of race, place, class and gender equity. Asking open-ended, higher-order, standards-based questions around these topics is much easier thanks to your work!”  Webinars titled “Discussing Whiteness” and “Teaching About Race, Racism, and Police Violence” are also available.
• On May 24, Hardy Elementary Principal Shante Denson submitted an Equity Lead Tool saying, “Our goal as leaders is to ensure all students are acknowledged and seen for who they are and the color of their skin.”

There is no CRT curriculum, but evidence suggests CRT is in our schools via “cultural competencies” training for teachers and staff. By design, this ideology will make it to the classroom.

Will you sit and watch or speak up at the next school board meeting on Aug. 12?

Jason Maresh

Windsor