Congressman Roy introduces legislation to keep critical race theory out of American schools
Press Release
On Wednesday, Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21), along with 26 of his House colleagues, introduced legislation to prevent American taxpayer dollars from going to any school that promotes critical race theory (CRT).
The Combatting Racist Teaching in Schools (CRT) Act prohibits federal funds from going to any elementary, secondary school, or institution of higher education that promotes race-based ideologies.
"Critical Race Theory, like all its racist derivations, is a direct affront to our core values as Americans. No one in America -- be they students, servicemen and women, government employees, or anyone -- should be indoctrinated to hate our country, its founding, or our fellow citizens," said Congressman Roy. "Worse yet is its pernicious demands to 'divvy us up by race' and perpetuate the lie that we should be treated differently by virtue of our skin color. There is no room for state-sanctioned racism anywhere in our society, and we must oppose it with all our might."
Specifically, the legislation would bar funding to institutions that promote theories describing:
Any race is inherently superior or inferior to any other race, color, or national origin.
The United States is a fundamentally racist country
The Declaration of Independence or Constitution of the United States are fundamentally racist documents
An individual's moral character or worth is determined by the individual's race, color, or national origin
An individual, by virtue of the individual's race, is inherently racist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously
An individual, because of the individual's race, bears responsibility for the actions committed by other members of the individual's race, color, or national origin
"As Americans we believe that all are created equal by God Almighty, regardless of their skin color," Congressman Roy added. "That self-evident truth, and the American promise that comes with it, are worth fighting for."
Cosponsors include Reps: Duncan (SC-03), Norman (SC-05), Biggs (AZ-05), Hice (GA-10), Bishop (NC-09), Buck (CO-04), Greene (GA-14), Miller (IL-15), Weber (TX-14), Lesko (AZ-08), Budd (NC-13), Tiffany (WI-07), Good (VA-05), Harris (MD-01), Gosar (AZ-04), Moore (AL-02), Boebert (CO-03), Cloud (TX-27), Babin (TX-36), Steube (FL-17), Perry (PA-10), McClintock (CA-04), Brooks (AL-05), Rice (SC-07), Loudermilk (GA-11), Sessions (TX-17).
The CRT act is supported by FreedomWorks and Heritage Action
Full text of the legislation is available at the link here.
BACKGROUND: Examples of critical race theory taught in schools
In Evanston, Illinois, students listened to the book Not my Idea: A Book about Whiteness and parents were asked to discuss the book with their children at home. The book states that, "whiteness is a bad deal" and "always was" and that "you can be white without signing onto whiteness." Kindergarten parents were asked to quiz their five-and six-year-old children on whiteness and to give them examples of "how whiteness shows up in school or in the community"
In Cupertino, California, third graders at R.I Meyerhold Elementary Schools were required to deconstruct their racial identities and then rank themselves according to their "power and privilege." The teachers asked all students to create an "identity map," which required them to list their race, class, gender, religion, family structure, and other characteristics.
In Oregon, teachers can use state standards in "ethnic studies" starting in September 2021; the standards will become a mandatory part of the curriculum in 2025. The revised recommendations for the standards require kindergarteners to "understand their own identity groups, including but not limited to race, gender, family, ethnicity, culture, religion, and ability." First-graders will be able to "describe how individuals and group characteristics are used to divide, unite, and categorize racial, ethnic and social groups."
An advisory board linked to Virginia's Loudoun County Public School district (LCPS) demanded that teachers be dismissed if they criticize the district's equity training inspired by critical race theory.
The largest school district in North Carolina has urged teachers to ignore parental concerns in order to teach so-called "anti-racism," through an "Equity in Action" plan that includes critical race theory.
Parents in Southlake, Texas recently fought back and won against the Carroll Independent School Districts "cultural competence action plan," which would have incorporated critical race theory into K-12 curricula.
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