J.D. Vance: Critical race theory is 'absolutely' an issue in Ohio
In an interview with Fox News Digital, the Ohio Senate candidate discusses how Ohio parents are worried about CRT, his upcoming election, and the 2022 midterms
A public school administrator in Indiana went viral after posting a video explaining that Indiana schools are teaching Critical Race Theory and intentionally deceiving concerned parents about whether or not their children are being subjected to it.
"When we tell you that our schools aren’t teaching Critical Race Theory, that it’s nowhere in our standards, that’s misdirection," Indianapolis district science coordinator, instructional coach, and administrator Tony Kinnett posted on Twitter Thursday.
Concerned community members and parents line up outside of the Loudoun County School board headquarters to voice their concerns about Critical Race Theory and other education issues on the docket, in Ashburn, Virginia, U.S. June 22, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
J.D. VANCE SAYS CRT IS 'ABSOLUTELY' AN ISSUE IN OHIO: 'PEOPLE ARE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THEIR KIDS'
Kinnett explained that he is an administrator in the largest school district in Indiana which means he is present in "dozens of classrooms a week" so he "sees exactly what we are teaching our students."
"We don’t have the quotes and theories as state standards per se," Kinnett said. "We do have Critical Race Theory in how we teach."
Kinnett continued, "We tell our teachers to treat our students differently based on color. We tell our students every problem is a result of ‘white men’ and that everything Western Civilization built is racist. Capitalism is a tool of white supremacy. Those are straight out of Kimberle Crenshaw’s main points verbatim in ‘Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings that Formed the Movement.’"
Opponents of the academic doctrine known as Critical Race Theory protest outside of the Loudoun County School Board headquarters, in Ashburn, Virginia, June 22, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
Kinnett added that the controversial curriculum is embedded in all subjects from math, to science, to history.
"When schools tell you we aren’t teaching Critical Race Theory it means one thing," Kinnett said. "Go away and look into our affairs no further."
"Parents, when we tell you Critical Race Theory isn't taught in our schools, we're lying, keep looking," Kinnett said at the end of the video.
In a Twitter thread, Kinnett posted screenshots of emails he says show school officials instructing teachers to tell parents Critical Race Theory is not taught in schools along with slides from a presentation acknowledging that it is indeed taught in schools.
When asked if he feared possible retribution for speaking out against Critical Race Theory Kinnett told Fox News Digital that his concern for students and parents outweighed that fear.
"I’m not trying to be grandiose but if not me then who?" Kinnett said. "Somebody has to tell the Indianapolis parents that this stuff is going on. I put up with a lot but lying to parents about what we do so that they don’t even have a choice to get their kids out of the district?"
Shelley Slebrch and other angry parents and community members protest after a Loudoun County School Board meeting was halted by the school board because the crowd refused to quiet down, in Ashburn, Virginia, U.S. June 22, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein (Reuters)
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"It’s dishonest and it’s using kids' color as props," Kinnett added.
Kinnett said that the best way for parents to reverse the tide of Critical Race Theory in schools is to "take a greater stake in what their kids are doing" and also encouraged teachers to speak out.
"I think a lot of teachers are sick and tired of this," Kinnett said, adding that he has encountered "dozens" of teachers who share his concern about Critical Race Theory in schools.
The Indianapolis Public Schools did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News on the degree to which Critical Race Theory is currently present in schools.
