Critical Race Theory Prohibited By Cherokee County Schools

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — The Cherokee School Board voted on Thursday to adopt a resolution prohibiting the implementation of Critical Race Theory, and prohibiting the use of The 1619 Project curriculum.

The resolution was proposed by school board members in response to misinformation circulating in the community that the district planned to implement these concepts and curriculum, which the district has not done nor were there ever any plans to do so, Cherokee Schools said in a release

Superintendent Brian Hightower said this decision does not mean teachers are prohibited from teaching students about race and its role in our history and current events, as these lessons are part of Georgia Performance Standards of Excellence, which are followed in Cherokee County schools. Cherokee County teachers will continue to have access to approved instructional resources to assist them in continuing to provide objective instruction, the district said.

Hightower gave remarks during the meeting, saying that for more than 30 years he's worked for the district. He started his my career as a social studies teacher, and, for the last five years, has been the district superintendent.

"So as to shine a light on our school district’s noteworthy achievements and successes while setting a standard for moving forward, one of my first acts as superintendent was to initiate a branding campaign which, ultimately, drew upon the blue ribbon of excellence as its focal point," Hightower said. "I also set out to address what I saw as a two-pronged charge from our school board—advance the bar on excellence and achievement as an educational institution and, with approximately 4,800 employees, also to be known as the best employer around, essentially run a great school system while simultaneously running a great business."

Today, Hightower said that continues to be the emphasis of the school board, which consists of seven school board members, whom the community has re-elected.

"When I think of the opportunities created by the fact that every sitting school board member has been elected to multiple terms, it speaks to consistency, continuity and confidence," Hightower said. "The long-term strategic planning by our board emphasizing areas such as solid fiscal oversight and conservative budgeting, exemplary building campaigns, standards-based curricula and state of the art technologies, enhanced safety and security measures, accessible platforms for communication and digital learning, and critically-needed student support services, their leadership has been instrumental to our success."

Hightower said the district continues to battle misinformation.

"This is a problem now being faced across our nation from some whose intent is to divide communities by planting seeds of discord and distrust," he said. "I again emphasize that neither I nor your school board have any plans to implement Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project. We have no plans to implement any of their concepts or race-based teaching under that name or any other name. We’re not playing semantics. We’re being truthful.

"While I had initially entertained and publicly spoken to the development of a stand-alone Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity (DEI) Plan, I recognize that our intentions have become widely misunderstood within the community and have created division. To that end, I have concluded there will not be a separate DEI plan. Staff and I do commit, however, to continue the great work being accomplished through our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) initiative, which we began two years ago as rates of depression, self-harm and suicide rose in alarming rates across the nation, and was evidenced in Cherokee amongst our students."

In the district, SEL means "ensuring all children, no matter their differences, feel welcomed and valued and that their emotional and mental health needs are recognized and met. But it has nothing to do with race-based teaching," Hightower said.

He went on to say it captures the concept of diversity, including that enrollment in Cherokee Schools now includes students from every state, and from 108 other countries, and more than 40 different languages represented and spoken. He also said it includes inclusion and equity.

"While the use of the term 'equity' has recently come under much debate and scrutiny across the nation, our commitment remains, under whatever terminology we might use in the future, to maintain high standards for our students while continuing to seek out additional resources so that any unequal needs receive additional assistance," Hightower said. "Again, relative to CRT concerns, hear me clearly in that we will not seek or receive federal monies to implement CRT by that name or any other name.

"Specific to the Board’s consideration tonight of a resolution banning CRT and the 1619 Project, within our social studies and history courses, our students will continue to learn about all that makes our nation the greatest in the world, from the Declaration of Independence to the U.S. Constitution, and from the sacrifices that led to our country’s freedoms to the continued sacrifices that preserve those freedoms.

"Our students will not be taught that they are to blame for terrible times in our history, or that they are oppressors because of the color of their skin, or that they are racist because of the color of their skin, or that they have to give up their rights in order to provide opportunities to others. Our children will not be taught that their differences define them."

Hightower said he believes that we have more commonalities than differences.

"I believe in treating others the way I want to be treated," he said. "However, I also believe it is misguided to say there is no racism in our community – from racial harassment complaints made by our students to life stories shared with me by our staff and our parents. We must together stand against racism. We are stronger together and we are better together."