Turmoil Erupts in School District After Claims That Critical Race Theory and Transgender Policy Are Being Pushed

A Virginia school district is under fire after chaos erupted during public comment at a school board meeting earlier this week over a proposed transgender policy and claims that critical race theory is being taught in the classroom.

The turmoil ended with one person being arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and another was cited for trespassing.

The Loudoun County Public Schools meeting, which included an agenda item to discuss a new transgender policy, attracted a large crowd of parents and community members who chanted “shame on you” and protested throughout the meeting.

School officials say 251 people had signed up for public comment.

While critical race theory was not on the agenda, parents and community members accused the school district of requiring teachers to take a diversity training that discusses the concept and then teaching it to students. {snip}

The controversy has put Loudoun County Public Schools in the national spotlight and comes as a growing list of states propose legislative bans against teaching critical race theory in public schools. {snip}

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Interim Superintendent Scott Ziegler said “misconceptions and misinformation” in the media were distorting the equity work being done in the school district. Ziegler said in a statement that the district had hired an independent firm, The Equity Collaborative, to help improve its learning environment. The firm recommended professional development for staff members to help them recognize the “social and cultural differences in our diverse student body,” Ziegler said. Part of the training required staff to examine how their own personal biases might affect how they treat students.

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But community members and parents insist that teachers are being trained on critical race theory and forced to teach it to students.

Ian Prior, executive director of Fight for Schools, told CNN that members of the school board are in a private Facebook group promoting critical race theory and seek to target parents who oppose it.

“Now when you see it bleed down into the school system and into the teaching, you have lessons where they’re talking about White fragility, White privilege microaggressions racist centralism, as early as second grade,” Prior said.

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Retired Republican Sen. Dick Black was among those who blasted the board at the meeting. Black claimed the board was looking to punish opponents of critical race theory.

“You’re teaching children to hate others because of their skin color, and you’re forcing them to lie about other kids’ gender,” Black said. “I am disgusted by your bigotry and your depravity.”

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