There have been some who have been critical of me being on record as being opposed to CRT, but yet allowing 2 courses that have CRT as a small component in them. Apparently, they've gone so far as to nearly call my vote immoral, question my principles, and call it the first step in allowing CRT to infiltrate our School District (even though there has been no further action regarding CRT in the last three years).
If you have been an active participant in the regular business of the GSD as a parent or a taxpayer, you already have an idea of the history, however, there are plenty of people who also don’t follow things as closely for any number of reasons.
A Brief History
Early April 2021 (before I took my seat on the Board) The Board voted to ban CRT entirely. In my opinion (and I stated this at my first meeting), I didn’t think enough research was done on how that ban would impact the District in the middle of the school year. I didn’t think that anyone knew where CRT appeared in the curriculum at the time.
April 26, 2021 (my first meeting)
The Board reversed the ban and charged the Administration to provide reports and information regarding where CRT was present in the curriculum and how a ban would impact what we have in the District.
June 21, 2021
Discussion and possible action regarding Critical Race Theory.
Video of meeting: https://youtu.be/-auwXI_Ftsc?si=YbgGBzQAYDYxfNJU (discussion on CRT begins at about the 1:56:00 mark)
Approved meeting minutes: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1403987/06-21-21_Board_Minutes.pdf
There was discussion and a motion about tabling any CRT vote and having a public forum to continue gathering information. It was defeated 4-3 (NO - Loth, Barney, Borden, Pawlak - YES - Medved, Soderberg, Reinemann).
There was discussion and a motion to constrain the instruction of the Critical Race Theory to “Critical Thinking & Writing” and “AP English Literature and Composition” and provide a parental consent form acknowledging the introduction of this theory or other critical theories within the course materials. This action does not ban Diversity, Equality, or Inclusion.
This motion was written by Loth, motioned by Loth, and seconded by Barney. The motion was approved 6-1 (NO - Medved).
Statement from the Board of Education: https://www.gsdwi.org/article/483519
So where does that leave us with regards to CRT?
Since June 2021, CRT has only been present in the two elective classes at GHS.
And, to be clear, the 2 courses aren’t focused solely on CRT. We provide additional context to parents and invite them to review the material before they sign the form if they choose to. It is a requirement that a parent MUST sign for their student to be registered for the course. No signature = no course.
The CRT issues and resolution/current policy was set 3 years ago. We just completed the third time enforcing this policy during the 2024/25 course selection process.
Since the motion was to constrain CRT to those two classes, CRT is not allowed elsewhere within the District. There would have to be a concerted effort through the Administration, the Board, or the Teaching & Learning Committee to bring additional CRT courses into the District. That hasn’t happened. Since I’ve been part of the Teaching & Learning Committee all three years of my service, I can say there has been no push by anyone to add additional CRT courses. The committee meetings (and all the meetings) are available via our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@GermantownSchoolDistrict).
So why take away these two elective courses where parental sign-off is required (unless they are 18 years old - sometimes people forget that we have students in our building who are adults) to be registered?
Why take away the relatively inexpensive opportunity to earn college credit versus the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to take a similar course to earn that credit in college?
Because of the number of AP courses that we offer and the number of students that take advantage of them, we have students entering college with one semester of credit earned, and sometimes even have students entering college as sophomores.
One Last Thing: My Principles
One thing I’ve learned serving in this community is that one does need to share your starting point… I’m in favor of this. I’m not in favor of that.
It’s been said that you “need to be willing to share where you stand on issues, your beliefs, and what’s important to you. However, no one can project exactly how they will vote in every situation.”
So, it is true that I am opposed to incorporating CRT in the K-12 environment. It is also true that I voted along with 5 others on the Board to constrain CRT content to the 2 elective courses at GHS. Why? Because it was in the best interest of those students, with their parent’s approval, to provide them the opportunity to earn college credit.
Ultimately, I believe that my position on the Board isn’t to impose my morals and perspectives on the District. They are used to guide my decisions when various issues arise. However, if there is a persuasive argument made that doesn’t 100% doesn’t align with my beliefs, and it appears to be in the best interest of the students and District, I will vote for it.
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