Youngkin identifies racially ‘divisive concepts’ in schools report

Gov. Glenn Youngkin released an interim report last week outlining steps his administration is taking to remove “inherently divisive concepts” in Virginia’s public schools, part of his pledge to ban critical race theory.

The governor’s office said Friday that Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow compiled the 30-day report to identify programs, policies and curricula that “promote discriminatory and divisive concepts, such as critical race theory.” The administration is taking steps to remove these materials that were once endorsed by the Virginia Department of Education.

Among the targeted programs are resources on VDOE’s “EdEquityVA” website, started under Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam.

“Numerous resources within EdEquityVA employ the concept that current discrimination is needed to address past discrimination,” the report states as the basis for rescinding it.  

The report said suggested reading lists in the program include “Critical Race Theory authors such as Ibram X Kendi and Gloria Ladson-Billings. Both are critical race theorists who have moved CRT into education.”

It also said some items from reading lists were pulled from the VDOE website after last Nov. 2. 

In a statement, Mr. Youngkin said all Virginia students “should have the opportunity to receive an excellent education that teaches all history including the good and the bad, prioritizes academic excellence and fosters equal opportunities for all students.”

“Our Virginia students should not be taught to discriminate on the basis of sex, skin color, or religion and VDOE policies should certainly not recommend such concepts,” he said.

Mr. Youngkin, who won last year’s gubernatorial election against Democrat Terry McAuliffe while emphasizing parental rights in battles with local school boards over critical race theory, said the report bolsters his prioritization of parents and students.

“As your governor, I will continually stand up for students and parents and look forward to signing the largest education budget in Virginia’s history,” he said.

Last Tuesday, Ms. Balow wrote in a letter to Mr. Youngkin and Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera that the governor’s Executive Order One defines “inherently divisive concepts” to mean “advancing any ideas in violation of Title IV and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

But she also said the concepts contained in “critical race theory-based materials” have “become widespread” in the state’s Department of Education and individual school divisions. That means the Youngkin administration will need to “proactively review policies, practices and pedagogies around the state,” she wrote.

“We must continue to ensure that no student in Virginia is taught to judge or treat others differently solely on the basis of their race, skin color, ethnicity, sex or faith,” Ms. Balow said in the letter.

Friday’s report contains samples of rescinded books and materials, including the resources listed in a February 2019 memo from Ms. Balow’s predecessor James F. Lane, a Democrat.

The resources in that memo include articles from Teaching Tolerance, a program of the left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center. The title of one article: “Teach about Blackface and Other Racist Halloween Choices.”

“This online lesson plan builder guides teachers towards building lessons to facilitate student dialogue and help students analyze costumes to see how they reinforce stereotypes,” a summary in Mr. Lane’s memo states.

Another rescinded resource includes a list of “basic tenants of anti-racist education” posted on the Virginia Department of Education’s website before Mr. Youngkin’s election. The list includes this statement: “White People benefit from racism, regardless of intentions.”

Developed in graduate and law schools in the 1970s, critical race theory is an analytical tool based on Marxist critical studies. It posits that racism is a foundational element of American society and government and is important in understanding and evaluating U.S. laws, policies and programs.

While critical race theory is not taught as such in K-12 schools, Mr. Youngkin and other critics have sought to ban concepts like “anti-racism” that they say have emerged from them in educational resources.

But actress Sam Sorbo, an educational reform advocate and podcast host, said political efforts to erase the concepts of critical race theory may do little to change the attitudes of teachers who still use them in the classroom.

“I’m thrilled that parents and teachers are finally understanding the terrible ideology that has crept into our schools, though I fear that the responses are ‘too little, too late,’” Ms. Sorbo said. “After all, to banish CRT from schools speaks to the necessity of such a ban, and it won’t curtail a teacher who espouses the same from imparting his or her views on the students, regardless of the law.”