There's no doubt CRT is taught in our schools

Is Critical Race Theory being taught in Washington public schools or not?

In 2021, the Legislature passed, and on May 5th that year Gov. Jay Inslee signed, Senate Bill 5044 to require the teaching of “...equity, cultural competency, and dismantling institutional racism in the public school system.” This is the academic description for Critical Race Theory.

The bill was implemented through the Washington state learning standards using the “Ethnic Studies Framework.” Academic material is used in classrooms based on four CRT criteria: “Identity,” “Power and Oppression,” “History of Resistance and Liberation,” and “Reflection and Action.”

In the years since then, Seattle school officials have used CRT to deny students access to advanced study and gifted programs based on race. Seattle schools recently eliminated the HCC program for gifted students.

Last week Heather Snookal, the principal at Bellevue’s Phantom Lake Elementary school, told parents that a swastika which appeared on the playground is “a symbol of hate.” Hours later, she sent a message calling for “inclusivity” and that, “The swastika is a symbol of peace, prosperity and good fortune. We recognize that for many of our families, this symbol has a positive and spiritual meaning.”

She has rightly been put on administrative leave. Such moral confusion from a public educator is a direct outcome of racist CRT ideology.

In another example, the University of Washington is being sued by Jewish students for antisemitism. This again is the result of CRT, which says that Jewish people are “white-adjacent” and engaged in “white supremacy” to oppress others.

It is clear that the CRT legislation Gov. Inslee signed in 2021 is being implemented in the public schools, as demonstrated by the state Learning Standard’s “Ethnic Studies Framework” and by real-world examples happening in schools.

Educators may have honest disagreements about when and how it is appropriate to expose students to hateful racist ideas, but there is no doubt that CRT concepts, often without full disclosure, are being taught in Washington public schools.

— Liv Finne is the director emeritus for Washington Policy Center’s Center for Education. Email her at [email protected].