T/E School Board Meeting Packed Over Critical Race Theory

TREDYFFRIN TOWNSHIP, PA — As Tredyffrin Township residents packed in for the first in-person TESD board meeting in over a year, most attendees came prepared to express opposition to the district's policy on equity and related curriculum they say is divisive and harmful because it labels white students oppressors and students of color as victims.

Social media and other posts went out last week alerting parents to show up at the TE school board meeting, posted by "Parents fighting Critical Race Theory in the T/E school district."

Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board President Michele Burger advised the crowd comments were to be directed to the board, in a spirit of civil public discourse, but she would later in the meeting have to call out some "minor outbursts."

Superintendent Dr. Richard Gusick began the comment period with a review of TE School District's Equity statement, which was approved in October 2020.

Gusick's framing remarks said that racial equity work was fundamental to the District's mission and focus on the success of all students. "A critical component to achieving equity is listening," he said.

"When families and students express that their experiences in T/E are at times negatively impacted due to race, I must remain committed to listening and being open to the fact that my own lens as a white male is broadened through hearing multiple racial perspectives. Better racial understanding comes through a willingness to talk about race."

Gusick continued, "Locally we must all be willing, myself included, to look with a critical eye how racial differences play out in our schools."

He emphasized that listening can lead to a better understanding of "how we are all impacted by racism" and expressed the belief that "we all want our children to grow up in a world where no lives are lost or dreams shattered due to racial injustice."

He underscored that racial equity work is not new in the district, saying that for several years the district has shared this work in public meetings, suggesting that the present moment of opposition had political motivations.

Gusick said, "If taking a stand against racism is considered by some to be political, then not addressing racism is equally political."

Comments began with 40-year Tredyffrin Township resident, Gene Tompkins, who said his children went to TE schools, stating he is against racism but said he was "shocked beyond belief that Conestoga High School accused America of systemic racism."

Tompkins issued a demand, he said, under Pennsylvania's Sunshine Law, that the school district show instance where racism is clear. "I have not seen it in all of my life. ... It sure wasn't systemic. Quite, quite the opposite. ... I don't think you have proof of what you say."

But Kevin Stroman, who said he grew up in Tredyffrin Township, attested to the existence of systemic racism in the township in his over 60 years as a resident.

One of the few Black persons to speak, he told the board, "The reality is we are an enslaved people. We were stolen from the motherland and brought over here. So that's the real history. We were never part of the Declaration of Independence. We were never part of this country. So, when people keep on acting like there's no racism, and everything's hunky-dory around here — nothing against my Asian neighbors or other minorities, but the Black people are at the bottom rung."

He underscored the importance of programs the try to address "the issues Black children in the district are facing."

"When we're talking about Critical Race Theory or any other theory, what we're talking about is racism," Stroman said.

A change.org petition sums up what many of the commenters echoed. "Critical Race Theory (CRT) inhibits unity by segregating students into groups based on race and skin color. CRT advocates assigning levels of 'privilege' and 'oppression' to individuals/students; therefore, creating animosity from the perceived oppressors, and a false sense of entitlement from the oppressed. This is a divisive ideology and separates our community."

Several impassioned commenters made arguments that the curriculum the district is using to teach on racism is full of ideas from Communism and Marxist ideology, including that of class struggle and violent uprising. One woman warned the board, in this same context, that Black Lives Matter founder Alicia Garza is a "militant Marxist."

Deana Wang, an 11-year township resident and the mother of a graduate of the district, told the board, "America is great because of two reasons; this county nurtures innovative minds that drive progress on a global scale, and American people who seek to embrace constructive criticism. Critical Race Theory is creating the indoctrination environment that will constrain children's creative sense of self and consequently limit their analytical productivity as adults."

Wang questioned why parents have not been allowed to see the CRT curriculum and said the district had signed a non-disclosure agreement with PEG not to allow parents to see what they are teaching students. She challenged the board to disclose the information to parents.

Another change.org petition is gathering signators "Uniting Tredyffrin-Easttown for Accuracy, Equity, & Respect." It states that:

• Critical Race Theory, a teaching philosophy for educators, is not taught in TESD schools.
• We do, however, strongly support the district's ongoing racial equity commitment.
• We support teaching accurate, comprehensive history and current events.
• We reject the divisive right-wing rhetoric seeking to influence curriculum in our district. Such rhetoric can only have a negative impact in our schools and community.

"We support a curriculum that fosters respect for students of all backgrounds, is guided by equity, transparency, and integrity, and creates a positive learning environment for all students," the petition says.

Critical Race Theory began in legal scholarship and moved into other academic fields, examining racism and how it works in societies, how it is constructed and institutionalized. CRT accepts that racism is systemic in the United States.

An article published on the Amerian Bar Association's website states Critical Race Theory accepts that racism "recognizes that racism not a bygone relic of the past. Instead, it acknowledges that the legacy of slavery, segregation, and the imposition of second-class citizenship on Black Americans and other people of color continue to permeate the social fabric of this nation."

View the full recording of the June 14 TESD board meeting here.

Similar remarks criticizing Critical Race Theory were brought before the Phoenixville Area School Board the same night, in what was a wider movement around Critical Race Theory aimed at school districts and curriculum.

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