When Angela Grunewald first heard complaints about "critical race theory," the superintendent of Edmond Public Schools in Oklahoma had to Google the term to learn its meaning.
"We were being accused of teaching something," said Grunewald, who at the time was the district's associate superintendent for educational services. "I'm like, 'I don't even know what this is.'"
But after a recent school board meeting, she decided to directly confront complaints on several issues, from face masks to claims that schools are "indoctrinating" students. "Despite the accusation of one parent at the meeting, we do not teach students to hate their country," read Grunewald's lengthy online response to the community.
The furor at school board meetings over critical race theory — a college-level concept that isn't taught in K-12 schools — caught many in the education world by surprise.
This approach to examining racial bias in US laws and institutions is most often taught in law school, but Democrats say Republicans are intentionally misusing the term as a racist "dog whistle" to white conservative voters. At school board meetings, the term has become a politicized catch-all for books, resources, and teaching about race.
Now education leaders are pushing back against the misinformation they fear will deprive students of a fact-based education and drive even more teachers out the door. They are drafting playbooks, joining a coalition, and acknowledging that complaints about critical race theory aren't going away.
GOP candidates, hoping to use the issue to make inroads with parents in 2022 elections, have been encouraged by Republican Glenn Youngkin's win in Virginia after he pledged to "ban" critical race theory on his first day as governor. Already, several states have passed laws limiting the teaching of race and diversity-based subjects in K-12 classes.
"I think the Republicans have actually seen this as a very viable message that resonates with the public," said Dan Domenech, who runs AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
The misinformation is generating "huge concern" among superintendents, he said, and they need a new response strategy. He pointed to controversies over books that became politicized in Virginia.
In Texas, a GOP state lawmaker and attorney general candidate launched an investigation into books that pertain to sexuality or that "make students feel discomfort" because of their race or sex, and he specifically targeted a list of 850 books, The Texas Tribune reported.
'Are we going to get into book burning at the next stage of this?'
"Are we going to get into book burning at the next stage of this because the books don't necessarily align with your belief?" Domenech said. "I think we're at a very critical point in our history, where it seems to be really an attack on democracy, and an attack on the public education system."
The Learn From History national coalition launched in September to push back on misinformation about history and social studies, including the teaching of critical race theory. The group includes education associations, the American Federation of Teachers, historical associations, and charter schools.
They offer school system leaders a step-by-step guide to combat falsehoods through widely disseminated statements, preparation with a response team, and plan and reinforcement of the district's mission at every school board meeting and in every system-wide communication. There are also guides for parents, educators, and school board members.
"The harm is real," said coalition spokesman Cesar Cardenas, pointing to school communities already reeling from the pandemic and are now dealing with threats against their education leaders.
At Edmond Public School Board meetings, Grunewald said officials usually just listen during public participation. But she wrote a response this time because she wanted the community to know the accusations were false.
One participant claimed their social-emotional learning curriculum, which deals with goal-setting and managing emotions, was critical race theory. "I don't think they have all the facts and I wanted to make sure our public had the facts."
Since then, she's received emails from teachers in Texas and other Oklahoma districts "thanking me for standing up for the truth."
Domenech said his association is working on specific recommendations for superintendents to help them engage the community — outside of school board meetings — facilitate a controlled discussion and attempt to reach a consensus. Education leaders need to ask parents who are angry about "critical race theory" to explain what it is and to show examples of it in the school curriculum, he told Insider.
"When you do that, it becomes more apparent that what they're really talking about, is really the push to diversity, equity, and inclusion that's been part of not just education over the last year or so but also the private sector," he said. "The fear is that you're going to lose the exclusivity that benefits a few but rejects many more."
Educating the public will be an ongoing effort, Grunewald said. Parents may hear something on the news that raises questions or causes alarm. She wants to make sure the district remains transparent about what they are teaching.
"I just want to make sure that we can get the truth out there so our parents know what we're doing and can trust us," she said.
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