Maryland public schools push CRT on kids as young as five: Pupils taught there is dual epidemic of COVID and racism and teachers told to buy Ibram X. Kendi's controversial 'Antiracist Baby' book
Maryland's biggest county pushed a CRT-based 'psychoeducational lesson' on students as young as five years old that taught them of a 'dual pandemic of COVID-19 and systemic racism' - and ordered teachers to buy a book written by anti-racist activist Ibram X. Kendi.
Montgomery County Public Schools Associate Superintendent Janet S. Wilson sent an email to principals announcing: 'All schools will be required to implement a student psychoeducational lesson during one of the school's mandatory Social-Emotional Learning block before September 18, 2020.
'This lesson will provide students crisis facts about the dual pandemic (COVID-19 and systemic racism) that is occurring around the country and here in Montgomery County.'
The email sent on August 26, 2020 and other documents obtained by Fox News show the critical race theory-based lesson that was required for all elementary and secondary school students.
In a video, the instructor coaches teachers to say: 'We are currently living through a dual pandemic with COVID-19 and the Systemic and Structural racism occurring worldwide.'
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Maryland's biggest county, launched a 'psychoeducational lesson' teaching students of a dual pandemic' involving COVID-19 and 'systemic racism'
Associate Superintendent Janet S. Wilson sent an email to principals announcing: 'all schools will be required to implement' the 30 minute lesson
'A pandemic is defined by an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population. As you can see from this slide [featuring a Black Lives Matter protest poster], both are affecting lives of people in our community and around the world,' the video says.
In a presentation sent to MCPS educators, the county notes: 'The discussion about race is uncomfortable for some people, however, it is an important discussion to have among ourselves and with our students.'
It then lists resources that should be used that included Kendi's book 'Antiracist Baby,' which the presentation states introduces its young audience and readers 'to the concept and power of antiracism' and provides the language to conduct these conversations.
A children's book titled 'All The Colors We Are' is also listed as a suggested resource.
The school district, which serves about 162,000 students at its 205 schools, also produced a presentation titled 'Family Guidance to the Psychoeducational Lesson,' which describes a psychoeducational lesson as 'a classroom-based intervention that provides students with information and support to cope with a crisis event.'
The 30-minute lesson is outlined to 'provide crisis facts and dispel rumors - discusses newspaper articles about the crisis,' 'normalize crisis reactions/ feelings,' 'discuss stress management techniques,' and 'discuss how to get help for the student and others.'
A slide intended for third- through fifth-graders states: 'COVID-19 has shown how unfairness an hurt people. People in African American and Latinx communities have been more likely to get from COVID-19 because of racism and unfairness impacts their lives.'
'Because of everything happening in the world, people are experiencing many different emotions.'
A slide intended for 3rd through 5th graders states: 'People in African American and Latinx communities have been more likely to get from COVID-19 because of racism and unfairness impacts their lives'
The lessons for elementary and secondary schoolers aims to teach students how to process their emotions and techniques to 'feel better.'
Families were able to request an 'alternative method for students to receive the lesson due to mental health concerns' but students were not allowed to opt-out of the lesson, which 'are there to support students and help teachers to identify students who are in need of social-emotional support.'
The school district was condemned earlier this year for spending $454,000 in taxpayers' money on a 'claptrap' anti-racism audit in November 2020.
In May, conservative activist group Judicial Watch released nearly 700 pages of records related to the audit and critical race theory classes.
The documents gave a closer look at specific curriculum and lesson plans students were learning about, which included the topics of white privilege and intersectionality.
Students at Thomas Pyle Middle School in Bethesda were being taught in their social justice classes that Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' slogan is an example of 'covert white supremacy,' as well as lessons on the 'denial of white privilege,' documents showed.
A slide presented to students read: 'Dominant narratives about race (family, media, society) coupled with racialized structural arrangements and differential outcomes by race all prime us to believe that people of color are inferior to white people.'
Also uncovered by the Judicial Review was a class slide titled 'Implicit Bias, Structural Racism' that states: 'Race is created to justify enslaving people from Africa (economic engine of country).'
The students were asked 'What is White Privilege?' and were instructed that white privilege includes having 'a positive relationship with the police, generally;' 'soaking in media blatantly biased toward my race;' and 'living ignorant of the dire state of racism today,' Judicial Watch documents revealed.
In another slide titled 'What is Intersectionality?' the students were told it is defined as: 'Exposing one's multiple identities can help clarify the ways in which a person can simultaneously experience privilege and oppression.'
The curriculum is facing some backlash and being labeled 'dangerous.'
'The racist, revolutionary claptrap in these documents should be nowhere near a school classroom.' Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said.
'These documents show that extremists have access to our schools and are willing to abuse this access to children in order to advance a dangerous, divisive, and likely illegal agenda,' he added.
But there are some who defend the teaching of critical race theory in schools.
The district hired The Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium to conduct the audit, which list it's mission as promoting 'excellence and equity in education to achieve social justice'
Students at Thomas Pyle Middle School (pictured) in Bethesda are being taught critical race theory
Students in Thomas Pyle Middle School's social justice classes were taught that 'Make America Great Again' is an example of 'covert white supremacy
'In every aspect of our lives, we encounter race,' Jane Bolgatz, the associate dean for academic affairs at Fordham University Graduate School of Education told ABC News.
'If we aren't talking about race, we aren't noticing the ways in which society pushes white people forward. And so then we're not noticing the fact that these winds are not only pushing them forward but pushing people of color backward.' she added.
Nearly a dozen states - including Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, South Dakota, and Arizona - are considering legislation to ban critical race theory in public schools.
In September 2020, former President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to stop funding training on topics including 'critical race theory' and 'white privilege' with taxpayer dollars.
President Joe Biden revoked the order.
The district hired The Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium to conduct the audit, which lists it's mission as promoting 'excellence and equity in education to achieve social justice.'
'The Anti-racist System Audit will provide an opportunity to examine the district's systems, practices, and policies that do not create access, opportunities, and equitable outcomes for every student's academic and social emotional well-being,' it added.
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