Last Friday, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law a bill prohibiting Critical Race Theory or any curriculum that might cause white students “discomfort, guilt, anguish or psychological distress” from being taught in K-12 schools in the state. On Monday, the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education unanimously denounced the new law and called it exactly what it is and what I’ve been calling bills like it that have been pushed by Republicans across the country: They are white fragility bills.
Every single Oklahoma City Public Schools board member came out against House Bill 1775, the controversial bill that bans the teaching of critical race theory in Oklahoma schools.Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the bill into law last week. The measure bans certain topics about race and gender from being taught in Oklahoma schools. During a meeting Monday, all eight members of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education voted to denounce House Bill 1775. Some also called the bill racist and a form of censorship.Several board members who were former teachers said conversations they had in their classrooms would have been illegal if the bill was around a few years ago. As a district, we don t need this bill, Carole Thompson said. It s racist. It s cowardly. It s micromanaging, Meg McElhaney added.Oklahoma City Public Schools board members took turns denouncing the bill. It s disgusting, and to think that in 2021 we could have a bill like this introduced, let alone heard in a comm
By KTOK News
May 11, 2021
The Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education is speaking out against a new state law that bans the teaching of critical race theory in schools. The measure, which was signed into law by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt last week, prohibits certain topics about race and gender from being taught. All eight Oklahoma City School Board members voted to denounce the new law yesterday, and some board members called the measure racist and a form of censorship.
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Oklahoma Governor Signs Bill Banning Critical Race Theory in Public Schools
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill on May 7 banning the teaching of critical race theory in the state’s public and charter schools.
Critical race theory is a quasi-Marxist ideology that holds that racism is ingrained in the United States. Among other concepts, it labels people with white skin, including children, as oppressors who hold an inherent advantage over other races and should feel guilt due to their “privilege.”
“Now more than ever we need policies that bring us together, not rip us apart,” Stitt, a Republican, said in a video posted on Twitter. “I firmly believe that not one cent of taxpayer money should be used to define and divide young Oklahomans about their race or sex.”