Some, including the Democratic members of the state s American Indian Caucus, worry a lack of clarity could have a chilling effect on the state’s constitutionally required Indian Education For All
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Members of Montana s American Indian Caucus on Tuesday released a statement supporting critical race theory, an academic movement centered on the idea that racism is systemic. The Indigenous lawmakers allege the inability to teach critical race theory will erode Indian Education For All, erase Indigenous identity and violate the state s constitution.
The two-and-a-half-page statement comes in response to Superintendent Elsie Arntzen and Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who have both expressed concern regarding critical race theory. Our schools should not be teaching debunked theories that twist and distort our history, and fringe philosophies that Americans have consistently rejected, Arntzen wrote in a May 12 blog post.
The Indigenous lawmakers allege the inability to teach critical race theory will erode Indian Education For All, erase Indigenous identity and violate the state's constitution.
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The U.S. Department of Education is proposing a new set of priorities that would incentivize changes to the way history and civics is taught. The federal government is encouraging K-12 schools to include diverse perspectives in history and civics and to take notice of systemic racism in America s history.
Wyoming Public Radio s Catherine Wheeler spoke with State Superintendent Jillian Balow about the proposal, which Balow sharply criticized.
Jillian Balow: What caught my attention and what made this new, and frankly, alarming to me, was the inclusion of specific recommendations for curriculum in the rule and also that represents two things. Number one: it represents an overreach by the federal government. That s not something that typically the federal government has done, and when they have, it s been concerning for state and local leaders, where education decisions should reside. The second thing is that the references, the curricular references that were cited, are fair