Indiana Takes Steps to Address Parents' Concerns About Critical Race Theory
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita released a Parents Bill of Rights on Wednesday to help parents combat ideologies imposed on children in school.
Rokita’s Parents Bill of Rights reminds Indiana parents that they are entitled to question school officials, to question and review school curricula, to “expect that the academic curriculum taught in your child’s school aligns with Indiana and federal law,” to participate in Indiana’s selection of academic standards, to “obtain educational materials and curriculum taught to your child in the classroom” and to run in local school board elections.
“Education policy and curriculum should reflect the values of Indiana families while meeting the mandatory requirements set forth in law,” Rokita said in a statement.
“The single most effective way to ensure school accountability is for parents to engage in their children’s education.”
“The Parents Bill of Rights empowers them to do just that,” he continued.
The Republican attorney general’s actions reflect a growing, parent-led rebellion against the ideology of critical race theory.
CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet it teaches people to view every social interaction and person in terms of race. Its adherents pursue “antiracism” through the end of merit, objective truth and the adoption of race-based policies.
That’s why we’ve released the Parents Bill of Rights—a roadmap for Hoosier parents to exercise their legal right to have a voice in their children’s education. https://t.co/1spP8MSAni
— Todd Rokita (@AGToddRokita) June 23, 2021
Proponents of CRT say the theory offers needed critiques of “how the social construction of race and institutionalized racism perpetuate a racial caste system that relegates people of color to the bottom tiers.”
In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, elements of CRT have begun to appear in schools across the nation, identifiable through buzzwords such as “systemic racism,” “racial equity,” “anti-racism” or “implicit bias.”
Parents across the nation have been appalled to see CRT elements taught to their children, activists told the Daily Caller News Foundation, but the content can be difficult to define or track down. Like progressive gender ideology taught to students in sex education, elements of CRT are not only present in equity programs but have also seeped into other elements of public school programs.
“As I’ve traveled throughout the state of Indiana, I’ve heard firsthand the concerns of parents who are deeply troubled by ideologies being imposed in their children’s school curriculum,” Rokita said in a Wednesday statement. “The first line of defense to hold school districts accountable lies with active and engaged parents.”
“The Indiana Attorney General’s Office will stand in their corner every step of the way as they exercise their individual liberties in the interest of our children,” he continued.
At least 165 local and national groups have formed to combat CRT instruction in schools across the U.S., an NBC News analysis found. Many of these groups were founded by parents appalled to discover what was being taught to their children.
Their advocacy has launched small town CRT debates onto the national stage, spurring far-left activists and establishment media outlets to accuse conservatives of ignorance and, in some cases, racism.
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A version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.
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