Records Reveal Coordinated Effort to
Advance CRT Initiatives in Loudoun County
Loudoun County in Virginia is the center of the storm on Critical Race
Theory. School district officials there are obsessed with pushing, often
dishonestly, the CRT agenda.
We learned this from 3,597
pages of records we received from the county. They reveal a
coordinated effort to advance CRT initiatives despite widespread public
opposition.
We received the records after two Virginia Freedom of Information Act
(VFOIA) requests to Loudoun County Public Schools. In March and April 2021
requests, we asked for communications between Loudoun County
Superintendents Eric Williams and/or Scott Ziegler with school board
members, teachers and parents regarding anti-racism initiatives, including
a proposed speech code.
Here’s what we learned.
On March 27 at 2:19 a.m., Minority
Student Achievement Advisory Committee (MSAAC) Chair Keaira
Jennings writes to
former Director of Equity Lottie
Spurlock and others that she tweeted “we will silence the
opposition … without realizing the firestorm my words would cause … My
intention was and is to have the voices in support of equity in education
be heard and supported, and I was actually thinking ‘hopefully those
voice will eventually ring louder and drown out those against
equity.’”
On March 29, 2021, Jennings writes about
distributing a MSAAC a “call to action” in hopes the Loudoun NAACP will
join in taking steps against the “false narratives” of “the
opposition:”
As you are aware there is a lot of negativity and false narratives being
circulated in the community and news regarding equity within LCPS. I think
it best to not engage the opposition but rather counter them and drown out
their hateful rhetoric. I am attaching a copy of the call to action that
MSAAC put out this morning in hopes that the NAACP will join us in taking
these or similar steps. Later this afternoon, I plan to also submit a
letter formally to the school board asking that they take specific actions
items, recognizing that the censure of [ School
Board Member] John Beatty is not legal for them currently.
On January 11, 2021, Loudoun County School Board Member Atoosa Reaser
writes Ziegler an email about
legislation moving in the Virginia legislature under the subject line,
“Bill Tracking> HB1904 > 2021 session” (H.B. 1904 passed and
was signed into law by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. The new law
requires cultural competency for teacher licenses.):
This is the bill that's going to encompass one of our program’s asks. It
will be carried by someone outside of Loudoun, and is more comprehensive. I
believe it encompasses what we were asking for and am OK with that path
forward. Please let me know this morning if you have other thoughts.
Ziegler responds:
That looks good. Once the bill is passed, it will be interesting to see how
the training and rubrics are built and promulgated around the [cultural
competency] requirement. That will be where the real work starts.
On March 18, 2021, the African American Superintendent's Advisory Council
issued “Recommendations
on Equity,” which includes among numerous other recommendations:
Establishment [of] a single indicator or composite score related to school
climate that includes indicators related to antiracism and culturally
responsive and inclusive learning environments
[A] requirement for educator preparation programs to include programs of
study and experiences that prepare teachers to be culturally
responsive educators.
Karen Dawson, executive assistant to the superintendent’s office asks a
several public school officials to distribute the recommendations to their
staff members.
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Ashley F. Ellis
responds: “We already have a head start with so many of these
things.”
Ziegler responds to Slevin and Director of Communications and
Community Engagement Joan Sahgren: “I wonder if and how this
information can be included in our communications.”
On December 7, 2020, in an
email chain regarding a memorandum
of understanding between the school board and the sheriff’s
office, Spurlock writes to school and law enforcement officials about an
upcoming panel discussion regarding “rules of engagement for the
community conversation.”
On December 11, Katrecia
Nolen, principal and owner of KAPAX Solutions, a management and IT
consulting services company, writes:
Data shows that our children are disproportionately referred to law
enforcement in Loudoun County and these factors should inform the MOU
[memorandum of understanding] review process.
I understand that there were a number of community comments and questions
submitted, when will we have access to this community-derived
information?
In a March 19, 2021, message to
the public school community Ziegler attempts to address concerns regarding
“Rumors Concerning LCPS Equity Work” by attempting to draw a
distinction between Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Culturally
Responsive Teaching (CRT):
The professional development offered to LCPS employees explores issues that
have traditionally been ignored in professional development. It asks
employees to examine their own personal biases and how they might affect
student instruction and interactions with the community. Concepts such as
white supremacy and systemic racism are discussed during professional
development. LCPS has not adopted Critical Race Theory as a framework for
staff to adhere to.
On March 23, Ellis writes about
Ziegler’s distinction between Critical Race Theory and Culturally
Responsive Teaching:
As we've stated in committee meetings and messages to the community, LCPS
is not teaching CRT (Critical Race Theory), nor have our staff been trained
in Critical Race Theory …
***
Information related to countywide training for equity was shared with the
LCPS School board on September 22…. Additionally, the Department of
Instruction has created a frequently-asked-questions document related to
Equity and Culturally Responsive Instruction.
The acronym “CRT” might sometimes be confused with Culturally
Responsive Teaching. As you know from C&I meetings this year, we do
have a Culturally Responsive Framework that was developed this past year
and is being utilized in our schools. Again, this is not Critical Race
Theory.
In a March 2, 2021, email,
Ziegler invites senior staff to a Zoom meeting facilitated by Virginia
Commonwealth University: “Topic: Equity and Culturally Responsive
Leadership: Racial Equity: What's Race Got to Do With It? Dr. Cole and Dr
Stanley.” Drs. Cole and Stanley work
in the Office of Strategic Engagement for VCU.
In early April 2021, Public Information Officer Wayde B. Byard engages in a
conversation with Loudoun Now editor Norman Styer, whom
Byard characterizes in an April 5 email to
Zeigler, Ellis and Spurlock as “friendly.” Byard writes, “This editor
has been friendly to us in the past. In our phone conversation, he said he
wanted to ‘cut through the crazy’ and give an honest account of what
LCPS is doing.”
In a January 26, 2020, email,
Beth Barts writes to then-Superintendent Williams and other school
officials informing them about a closed meeting by the Equity Committee,
after it was leaked the Committee was considering a rule that would require
parents to take equity training before they would be allowed to access
their child’s “parentvue,” a mobile
application designed to help parents monitor their child’s
academic activity. Barts writes:
I would lie [sic] to draw your attention to the social media rumors that
the equity committee is going to require parents to take equity training
before they are allowed to access their child’s parentvue. There is some
outrage building.
I realize this is not exactly accurate and was just a suggestion, but I
wanted to make sure you all were aware.
Loudon County parents are not alone in confronting CRT abuse of their
children.
We recently made public a training
document it received from a whistleblower in the Westerly School
District of Rhode Island, which details how Westerly Public Schools are
using teachers to push critical race theory in classrooms. The training
course was assembled by the left-leaning Highlander
Institute and cites quotes from Bettina
Love, from whom the Biden administration distanced itself publicly
after her statements equating “whiteness” to oppression.
In May, we obtained heavily
redacted records from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)
including documents related to their “Anti-racist system audit” and
critical race theory classes. The documents, obtained under the Maryland
Public Information Act, reveal that students of “Maryland’s Largest
School District” who attended Thomas Pyle Middle School’s social
justice class were taught that the phrase “Make America Great Again”
was an example of “covert white supremacy.” The phrase is ranked on a
pyramid just below “lynching,” “hate crimes,” “the N-word” and
“racial slurs.” They were also taught that “white privilege” means
being favored by school authorities and having a positive relationship with
the police.
In June, we uncovered records from
Wellesley Public Schools in Massachusetts that confirm the use of
“affinity spaces” that divided students and staff based on race as a
priority and objective of the school district’s “diversity, equity and
inclusion” plan. The school district also admitted that
between September 1, 2020 and May 17, 2021, it created “five distinct”
segregated spaces.
CRT is the true pandemic in our schools and Judicial Watch is doing its
best to combat it!
Judicial Watch Sues Asheville Over Racially Discriminatory
Scholarship Program
Oxymoronic anti-racist racism is the new agenda for the extremist Left.
As part of our effort to combat this assault on the rule of law,
Judicial Watch filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of a North Carolina
citizens group whose members include high school students ineligible for a
City of Asheville-funded scholarship only because they are not black.
The plaintiff, WNC Citizens for Equality, Inc., is suing the City of
Asheville, City Manager Debra Campbell, and the Asheville City Schools
Foundation (ACSF) and its director regarding the city’s establishment of
a racially discriminatory scholarship program.
(The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District
of North Carolina (WNC
Citizens for Equality, Inc., v. City of Asheville et al. (No.
1:21-cv-00310))).
On May 5, 2021, the City of Asheville entered into an agreement with
Asheville City Schools Foundation to establish and administer the City of
Asheville Scholarship Fund. According to the agreement, the City of
Asheville Scholarship is “awarded in perpetuity to Black high school
students within Asheville City Schools, with special consideration given
for Black students pursuing a career in education.”
Our lawsuit argues that the scholarship is a violation of the Equal
Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and
a violation of the members of WNC Citizens for Equality’s rights to equal
protection under the law and freedom from racial discrimination under the
North Carolina Constitution.
The funds provided by the City of Asheville for the City of Asheville
Scholarship came from the settlement of an unrelated lawsuit. On April 13,
2021, the Asheville City Council directed City Manager Debra Campbell and
City Attorney Brad Branham to effectuate a “donation” of $474,592.56 to
ACSF. The City Council stated that it expected the funds would be used
“in such a way as to provide the public benefit of advancing racial
equity within the community.” A later, smaller donation also was made by
the City of Asheville to ACSF for the same purpose.
According to ACSF’s
website, the first City of Asheville Scholarship was awarded in May
2021. ACSF will begin accepting applications on November 1, 2021, and
through January 31, 2022, for the next City of Asheville Scholarship to be
awarded.
Our lawsuit asks the court to declare the discriminatory scholarship scheme
is in violation of both the U.S. Constitution and the North Carolina
Constitution.
It is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race and setting up a
‘blacks only’ scholarship is wildly unconstitutional. This civil rights
lawsuit seeks to ensure that no student in Asheville is denied educational
scholarship opportunities on account of race.
Federal Agencies Unveil Plans to Combat “Anti-Voter Burdens” of
People of Color
The Biden administration has engaged in a thinly-disguised “get out the
vote” operation – using your tax dollars. Our Corruption
Chronicles blog has the latest
details:
In response to President Joe Biden’s government-wide directive to
eliminate “anti-voter burdens” and “significant obstacles” that
prevent people of color from voting, more than a dozen federal agencies
have announced unprecedented initiatives that could conveniently result in
more votes for Democrats. The agencies concocted their unconventional voter
outreach plan after Biden issued an Executive
Order on Promoting Access to Voting in early March. It directs the
federal government to leverage its vast resources to increase access to
voter registration services and information about voting. Under the mandate
all agencies must submit a strategic plan outlining ways to promote voter
registration and participation to White House Domestic Policy Advisor Susan
Rice, who served as National Security Advisor and U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations under Barack Obama.
“The right to vote is the foundation of American democracy,” Biden’s
March executive order states. “Free and fair elections that reflect the
will of the American people must be protected and defended. But many
Americans, especially people of color, confront significant obstacles to
exercising that fundamental right. These obstacles include difficulties
with voter registration, lack of election information, and barriers to
access at polling places. For generations, Black voters and other voters of
color have faced discriminatory policies and other obstacles that
disproportionally affect their communities. These voters remain more likely
to face long lines at the polls and are disproportionately burdened by
voter identification laws and limited opportunities to vote by mail.
Limited access to language assistance remains a barrier for many voters.”
The order also mentions barriers faced by people with disabilities who are
denied legally required accommodations and military personnel serving
overseas.
In a preview of what is coming, 14 agencies recently disclosed the steps
they are taking in response to the president’s call for “an
all-of-government action to promote voting access and to further the
ability of all eligible Americans to participate in our democracy.” In a
lengthy announcement,
the White House claims the “strategic plans” are just the beginning of
each agency’s commitment and that the agencies will further build out
their capacity to help voters better understand “opportunities for
engagement” as well as “facilitate participation in the electoral
process” in the months to come. Much of the planning will center on the
findings of Vice President Kamala Harris’ months-long engagement with
voting populations “that have been historically marginalized” as well
as civil and voting rights advocacy groups. The administration has also
partnered with civil rights organizations, according to the White House
release, and has appointed “strong civil rights leadership at the
Department of Justice.”
Here is a preview of the preliminary steps government agencies are taking
to combat so-called “anti-voter burdens.” The Department of Justice
will provide voting information and facilitate voting for federal inmates
and educate ex-cons before reentry about voting rules and rights in their
state. The Department of Housing and Urban Development will furnish voter
registration information and services to around 1.2 million public housing
units nationwide and improve voting registration and voting access to the
homeless. The Department of Labor plans to designate thousands of
employment training centers in every state as voter registration agencies
and require the centers to enroll voters and serve as polling precincts.
The Education Department is going to prepare a tool kit of resources and
strategies for civic engagement for the nation’s elementary and high
schools as well as colleges so more than 67 million students and their
families learn about “civic opportunities and responsibilities.” The
Treasury Department will include voter registration and participation
materials in direct deposit campaigns for Americans who receive federal
benefits such as Social Security. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Rural Housing Service is having its offices, borrowers and guaranteed
lenders push voter information. Federal transportation officials want to
place voter registration materials in high-transit stations and the
Department of Defense (DOD) is going to develop voting materials in
“additional languages.” This is just the beginning.
Critical Race Theory Roils Virginia Governor Race
Micah Morrison, our chief investigative reporter, provides
a look at CRT battles which are coming to a head in Virginia in our
Investigative Bulletin:
Virginia is shaping up as ground zero in the battle over schools and
Critical Race Theory. The “theory” is pure poison, a hard-edged
identity politics from the radical Left teaching that America is an
irredeemably racist country suffused by white supremacy. Students
must—must—acknowledge this, or pay the price. Dissent will not be
tolerated. Parents are in an uproar, particularly in Virginia, where CRT
has become a major issue in the gubernatorial contest between Democrat
Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin. Polls show a tight
race.
The CRT fight in Virginia has been brewing all year. “Perhaps
nowhere has the debate over critical race theory grown so heated as
in Loudoun County” in Northern Virginia, the
Washington Post reported in May. Loudoun put nearly half a million
dollars into a consulting firm for teacher training and raising “racial
consciousness.” Parents grew alarmed and tensions increased. CRT “is
teaching kids to see other kids through a strictly identity group lens as
opposed to seeing each other as individuals with their own stories to tell
that are not dependent on their skin color or their ethnicity,” a Loudoun
County parent told the Post.
In July, in Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School—rated as one
of the top public schools in the nation—newly elected anti-CRT members of
the parent-teacher association were threatened
with removal of their charter by the state’s governing PTA
association. In September, chaos
broke out at a Prince William County School Board Meeting when
parents started shouting at each other. Cops had to clear the room.
Sparked by parent passions, CRT appears to be gaining traction with
Virginia voters. A recent Emerson
Poll showed that a big majority of Virginians, 86%, were familiar
with the CRT debate. 47% said they would support a state ban on teaching
CRT in the schools.
Youngkin, the GOP candidate, says he will ban CRT in the schools “on day
one” of his administration. He has made CRT a top issue in the race and
hammers McAuliffe on it at “Parents Matter” events around the state.
CRT “teaches our children to view everything through a lens of race to
divide our children up into buckets and then pit them against one another
and steal their dreams,” Youngkin told a Parents Matter rally last
week.
McAuliffe has stumbled over CRT and education. “I don’t think parents
should be telling schools what they should teach,” McAuliffe
said at a September debate—a remark that immediately went viral.
He dismisses
concerns over CRT as “racist” and a “dog whistle.” On the
campaign trail, McAuliffe’s education pitch focuses on a $2 billion
proposal to raise teacher pay, improve online access, and expand preschool
programs.
Judicial Watch has been a national leader in the CRT fight and we’ll be
watching Virginia closely. Read more from us on the background of
CRT here;
on CRT in Maryland here;
on CRT at West Point here;
on CRT in Rhode Island here.
And if you’re interested in using the Freedom of Information Act and
public records requests to explore CRT in your community, this
episode of JW TV will tell you everything you need to know.
Until next week...
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