To the Editor:
I attended the Meet the Candidates Night for the Board of Education. One of the questions was on Critical Race Theory (CRT).
This theory is meant for the collegiate level according to the experts and as stated by the Republican candidate Michael Presti, a Social Studies teacher who has a BS in Sociology. All of the candidates said they were against the teaching of it in our schools.
It was, however, disappointing to hear the Democratic candidates then dismiss parents’ obvious concerns. It was a topic that, according to the moderator, seemed to have the most questions. Democratic candidate Martha Shoemaker stated, “Connecticut has not adopted CRT”, “No school in Connecticut has and no school in Connecticut is teaching it.” Her fellow Democratic candidates went on to say that this topic is being used as a political tool and referred to it as the boogeyman.
Why the Democratic candidates downplayed this issue I do not understand and find very questionable. A Manchester elementary school teacher quit over this issue, as have other well qualified teachers throughout the country. Guilford has been in the center of this debate lately, with one of the consequences being the loss of some accelerated classes. Last year, I was made aware of at least two assignments that would seem to fall under CRT. So, when Martha Shoemaker and the Democratic candidates act as though parents should not be concerned, I beg to differ.
The Meet the Candidates Night was very enlightening.
Sincerely,
Meghan Anderson,
Old Lyme.