Kansas Attorney General, Derek Schmidt, has joined 19 other states in a push to keep Critical Race Theory out of public schools.
A letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona challenges proposed funding priorities for history and civics programs. The letter states in part:
“The proposed priorities are a thinly veiled attempt at bringing into our states’ classrooms the deeply flawed and controversial teachings of Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project,” the attorneys general wrote, which impedes “a proper and accurate understanding of our nation’s history and governmental institutions and, therefore, is fundamentally at odds with federal and state law.”
The letter goes on to push against using taxpayer money to pay for projects that characterize the United States as irredeemably racist or founded on principles of racism.
“Congress made clear that the purpose of the [statutorily authorized] programs is to advance a traditional understanding of American history, civics, and government,” the letter states. “The proposed priorities would do little to advance that goal.”
The letter asks the department to withdraw its new priorities for funding civics and American history projects.
The full letter sent to the U.S. Department of Education can be found at https://bit.ly/3uYCAyi.
President Trump had previously banned teaching Critical Race Theory in public schools, but the Biden administration quickly overturned that ban.
Critical Race Theory has faced backlash from some who say it promotes racism in some cases, mainly focused toward white people. Specific examples can be found in some works promoting antiracism, which advocate for discrimination against white people if it promotes equity.
