Elite Private Academy Refuses to Show Race-Based Curriculum to Parents

An elite private school in Ohio refuses to share copies of its race-based curriculum with parents, even as students were subjected to a“civil disobedience” walkout orchestrated by the school’s top leadership.

For the price of $30,000 per year, students at Columbus Academy (CA) are being taught left-wing political opinions as fact, according to parents at the school. The school — like other elite institutions across the nation — has allegedly opted to teach “anti-racism” and “critical race theory” in the classroom.

Andrea Gross and Amy Gonzalez are two parents spearheading a coalition to push back on what they call the school’s “intimidation and bullying” campaign against students and parents with non-progressive views. In an open letter to the school, Gross and Gonzalez — on behalf of 160 parents, students, alumni, and faculty with differing political views — presented evidence that the school has been intolerant towards people that view “anti-racism” and “critical race theory” as a form of racism.

The duo created the organization “Pro-CA Coalition” in hopes of standing up against the newfound racism that has sneaked into their children’s health, science, and English classes.

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According to a statement from a high school freshman, on the first day of the 2020-21 school year, an English teacher informed his class that if any students supported President Donald Trump, he would prefer not to know because he did not believe he would be able to speak with them.

Parents claim the intolerance came to a head on January 15, when the high school’s Dean of Students, Head of School for Student Outreach, and Director of Diversity and Community Life hosted a “civil disobedience” walkout for students. Students were asked to leave their classrooms and come to the gymnasium to participate in a “Black Empowerment” tribute.

Students were shown multiple “video interruptions” in the middle of class, encouraging them to leave their classrooms without their teachers’ permission. According to statements from Columbus Academy high schoolers, students were called “racist” by their peers if they “did not get to the gym fast enough” or come during the first “video interruption.” One student recalled being dubbed a “racist” next to a faculty member who said nothing about the name-calling.

The school claims that the exercise was intended to be a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., though the walkout was more focused on Malcolm X, the idea of “Black Empowerment,” and the slogan “Silence is Violence.”

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Parents have raised questions with Academy leadership and gotten minimal response. Parents have specifically requested copies of materials being used to teach about racism and the school has refused to provide any information, Gross and Gonzalez said.

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On October 20, in what the Pro-CA Coalition believes to be a response to their activism, students were issued a survey asking if they felt the school was “highly, somewhat or not at all” biased towards Democrats or Republicans. The school never released the results. Parents believe the results were likely damning and showcased that students felt intimidated by the school’s left-leaning culture.

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