Critical Race Theory Opponents Seek School Board Seats

 

The Guilford school system in the northeastern American state of Connecticut is seeing organized opposition¹ from local and national groups. The opposition comes after efforts to look at issues of race and fairness in schools and teaching materials.

School leaders started the efforts after the killing² of George Floyd last year. His death led to worldwide protests over the treatment of Blacks in the United States. But concerns over racial issues had been raised earlier in Guilford after a student wore black facial paint at a football game. There also was a dispute over the use of an image of Indians to represent the school system. The concern was that these issues are considered offensive to Blacks and Native Americans.

School board elections

For years, schools across the U.S. have been teaching diversity and cultural issues without much criticism. But the debate over face-covering requirements, shared bathrooms use by children of both sexes and teachings on race have increased interest in school board elections.

Jeffrey Henig is a political science and education professor at Columbia University. He said the recent anger over these issues has been increased by national groups with bigger plans.

Some members of the Republicans Party, he said, see these issues as ones that can help them win suburban³ voters in upcoming elections. Henig explained that is why the school board elections were "getting the energy and attention" that they have been getting.

Attention on Guilford, Connecticut

Guilford is a largely white town of 22,000 on the coast of Connecticut. It is a suburb of the more diverse city of New Haven⁴, home to Yale University.

Paul Freeman is head of the school system in Guilford. Freeman said students and recent graduates of the school system urged the schools to do more on issues of race and fairness after last year's protests.

The work has included a review of study materials to include books from writers with diverse experiences and backgrounds. He said, for example, students also learn about enslaved people who lived in Guilford during the Colonial period.

Opponents criticized Freeman for asking school administrators⁵ to read books including "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism⁶."

A national group, called No Left Turn in Education, organized a June meeting in Guilford on what they see as the threat of critical race theory.

This summer, conservative activists⁷ won the Republican Party's support for the school board. They called for Freeman's removal and hoped to gain control of the school board in the November elections.

Their goal is to fight critical race theory which has become the top issue for conservative activists in school board races across the U.S.

Opposition to critical race theory

Critical race theory (CRT) argues that the country's institutions work to keep white people as the most powerful group. The term has been used to identify many different ideas. The theory has been discussed mainly at the college level. Many say it is not a part of instruction for students from young children to high school.

Danielle Scarpellino is a local business owner. She is one of five candidates who opposed critical race theory. She said in a recent appearance on Fox television that Guilford school leaders were introducing politics into schools. She said students were "being used as political pawns⁹."

Tim Chamberlain is another candidate. He said on his campaign website that his child's teachers have "tried to persuade him to abandon his conservative viewpoint" while discussing issues like climate change and affirmative action.

Freeman said the accusation¹⁰ that his teachers are teaching political beliefs "could not be more wrong."

Kristy Faulkner is a molecular¹¹ biologist. She said she is running for the school board after seeing words like equity¹² and inclusion turned into bad words by her opponents.

She said she also worries that if her opponents win, they would not find any middle ground with the current school board members.

The head of Guilford's nine-member school board is Kathleen Balestracci who is not up for reelection. She is a researcher at Yale School of Medicine and a member of the Democratic Party.

She said that students and community members asked the schools to create policies on equity and inclusion. She said she has often heard from parents seeking information on policies during her 10 years on the board. But she said she has never seen such anger.

Balestracci said when she tried to explain the policies now, some said, "You're lying."

Words in This Story

diversity – n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization

board – n. a group of people who manage or direct a company or organization

review – n. an act of carefully looking at or examining the quality or condition of something or someone: examination or inspection¹³

pawn⁸ – n. a person or group that does not have much power and that is controlled by a more powerful person or group

abandon – v. to give up (something) completely

affirmative action – n. the practice of improving the educational and job opportunities of members of groups that have not been treated fairly in the past because of their race, sex, or something else

equity – n. fairness or justice in the way people are treated

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

4 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

5 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

6 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

7 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 pawn   

n.典当，抵押，小人物，走卒；v.典当，抵押

参考例句：

• He is contemplating pawning his watch.他正在考虑抵押他的手表。
• It looks as though he is being used as a political pawn by the President.看起来他似乎被总统当作了政治卒子。

9 pawns   

n.（国际象棋中的）兵( pawn的名词复数 )；卒；被人利用的人；小卒v.典当，抵押( pawn的第三人称单数 )；以（某事物）担保

参考例句：

• The hostages are being used as political pawns. 人质正被用作政治卒子。
• The allies would fear that they were pawns in a superpower condominium. 这个联盟担心他们会成为超级大国共管的牺牲品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

11 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。

12 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

13 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。