Carmel Parents Divided Over Teaching Of CRT, SEL; Voice Concerns At Monday’s School Board Meeting
Several parents of students in the Carmel Clay School system are pushing back against the district’s recent hiring of a diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, as well as the teaching of social-emotional learning (SEL) and critical race theory (CRT).
SEL lessons include teaching coping mechanisms and stress management.
CRT is an ideology that deals with issues of race and racial justice.
Parents and students lined up to speak at Monday night’s school board meeting, but only 19 people were allowed inside for the public comment section due to social distancing practices. Only 11 were able to speak before the thirty-minute public comment time limit ran out.
Amazing Audio: Carmel Parent’s Impassioned Speech Against Critical Race Theory to Carmel Clay School Board
Carmel parents and grandparents turned out en masse to a four-hour Carmel Clay School Board meeting Monday night to debate the district’s recent hiring of a diversity, equity, and inclusion officer.
In December, the Carmel Clay School District announced its decision to hire the district’s first such officer. Terri Roberts-Leonard, formerly the director of diversity and inclusion at Franklin College, started work on Jan. 19.
Roberts-Leonard’s duties include “recruiting and supporting a diverse staff, ensuring a positive educational experience for a diverse student body, and creating a safe and welcoming environment.”