The Temecula Valley Unified School District is under fire again; this time for protecting its students from Critical Race Theory. The district, which is being represented by Advocates for Faith and Freedom, is facing a lawsuit over its 2022 resolution that prohibits critical race theory (CRT).
The lawsuit, filed by political activists and the Temecula Valley Educators Association, contends that the ban on critical race theory imposed by the Temecula board is in violation of the California Constitution’s assurance of a “fundamental right” to education and safeguarding students against racial discrimination.
Furthermore, the suit asserts that the ban infringes on state regulations mandating educational standards, encompassing conversations about racism, inequality, and the relevance of historical events in contemporary times. Public Counsel, the group that filed the lawsuit, argues the policy has been used to stop teaching “any concepts that conflict with their ideological viewpoints, including the history of the LGBTQ rights movement and the existence of racism in today’s society.”
“The resolution’s lack of clarity has chilled many teachers into silence and led to large-scale protests by students who say that their constitutional rights to learn and to be free from discrimination are threatened by the ban,” reads a press release announcing the lawsuit.
According the the LA Times, Temecula Valley School Board President Joseph Komrosky said “this suit effectively represents an effort…to use CRT and its precepts of division and hate as an instructional framework in our schools.”
The district’s policy states that it aims “to uplift and unite students by not imposing the responsibility of historical transgressions of the past” and asserts that CRT is “an ideology based on false assumptions about the United States of America and its population.” The policy also claims that the school district “will not tolerate racism and racist conduct.” Read the entire resolution here)
Critical race theory asserts that the United States is inherently racist, while encouraging individuals to interpret all social interactions and individuals through the lens of race. Its proponents advocate for “antiracism” by rejecting meritocracy, objective truth, and embracing policies based on racial considerations. This deeply anti-Christian ideology has no place in the classroom.
The Temecula Unified Valley School Board also faced criticism recently when it decided to dismiss a history curriculum containing a material on LGBTQ hero Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom of California threatened to impose a $1.5 million fine on the school for rejecting the curriculum, ultimately leading the board to reconsider and adopt it. The board, despite changing their minds under pressure, did say they would look to remove the teaching material about Harvey Milk because of his sexual relationship with a teenager when he was in his 30s.
Children deserve education, not indoctrination. It’s vital that the Temecula Unified Valley School Board win this lawsuit and protect its students from adopting a racist worldview.
