“The Ohio State Board of Education has backtracked on its own efforts to fight racism, voting this October (2021) to repeal a resolution (Resolution 20) that demanded equity for students of color.
“School board members reportedly voiced concerns that the initial anti-racism resolution – crafted at the height of the George Floyd protests – would promote division, with one person going so far as to call it 'a crisis in our nation and our country.' In a 10-7 vote, the board opted to replace the resolution with another (Resolution 13) that would 'promote academic excellence' regardless of 'race, ethnicity, or creed.'”
(Brooke Leigh Howard. “Ohio Schools Freak Over Critical Race Theory, Dump Anti-Racism Reforms.” The Daily Beast. October 14, 2021.)
And, once again, unfounded fears of public schools teaching critical race theory raise their ugly heads.
Now, Ohio joins schools and school boards across the country that have become political battlegrounds as conservative groups take issue with diversity and equity initiatives which critics have equated with critical race theory, the academic study of racism’s pervasive impact.
This panic pervades the nation although research affirms critical race theory is not even typically taught in grade school and is pursued as a course of study at the college level.
Still, lawmakers in at least 22 states have proposed limits on how schools can talk about racial issues, according to NBC News data collected in June. Educators have reported being driven out of their jobs, frustrated and exhausted by the contentious fights.
(Doha Madani. “Ohio school board president to resign after refusing to vote against anti-racism resolution. NBC News. October 28, 2021.)
Damn the facts – right wingers aim to react with accusatory claims and white fragility. Brookings reports critical race theory does not attribute racism to white people as individuals or even to entire groups of people. “Simply put, critical race theory states that U.S. social institutions (e.g., the criminal justice system, education system, labor market, housing market, and healthcare system) are laced with racism embedded in laws, regulations, rules, and procedures that lead to differential outcomes by race.”
Sociologists and other scholars have long noted that racism can exist without racists. However, many Americans are not able to separate their individual identity as an American from the social institutions that govern us – these people perceive themselves as the system. Consequently, they interpret calling social institutions racist as calling them “racist” personally.
– Brookings Education, American research group
(Rashawn Ray and Alexandra Gibbons. “Why are states banning critical race theory?” Brookings Education. August 2021.)
What has become known as “Resolution 20” passed in July 2020, but it was challenged in September 2021 by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who questioned whether or not the measure was legal – and even accused it of being counterproductive to Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
Yost alleged the resolution was a tool “designed to establish and maintain white supremacy and racial oppression forever.”
Yost called the resolution part of “implicit bias training.” He said …
"Implicit bias training – reportedly the subject of some debate among members of this board, and promoted by the contra-King movement – often imputes collective guilt, moral deficiency or racial bias to entire swaths of people based solely on the immutable characteristic of skin color.”
“Honest history must be taught in our schools,” Yost continued. “Ugly chapters must be plainly taught… But so, too, should our history include the story of how the American people and our legal institutions put an end to these injustices and continue the work to guarantee equal treatment for all.”
(Brooke Leigh Howard. “Ohio Schools Freak Over Critical Race Theory, Dump Anti-Racism Reforms.” The Daily Beast. October 14, 2021.)
In the end, the Ohio State Board of Education repealed Resolution 20 and replaced it with Resolution 13, that condemned"any standards, curriculum, or training programs for students, teachers, or staff that seek to ascribe circumstances or qualities, such as collective guilt, moral deficiency, or racial bias, to a whole race or group of people."
President of the Ohio School Board Resigns
Laura Kohler. president of the Ohio School Board and a Republican, said she plans to resign Friday after the state Senate resisted her reappointment amid a political battle over Resolution 20 – the anti-racism resolution that she supports. Kohler is serving her fifth year with the State Board of Education of Ohio, told NBC News she intended to offer her resignation to Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday morning. She said the decision came after the state Senate made it clear she would not be reappointed.
“In October, there was a resolution that was brought forward to rescind what has come to be known as Resolution 20,” Kohler said. “I voted not to rescind and I believe that the fact that I was not going to be confirmed by the Senate is a result of that vote.”
Last year, Kohler helped write an anti-racism and equality resolution in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020. The resolution passed last year, affirming the state’s commitment to “excellence in education for all” and condemning racism, The Columbus-Dispatch reported at the time.
Kohler believed in Resolution 20 – it outlined all the ways Ohio's children of color, particularly its Black boys, underperform compared to their white counterparts. And it urged both the Ohio Department of Education and local school districts to take a hard look at their implicit biases, test questions, disciplinary records and textbooks.
"We have 20 years of data that shows that Black and brown children consistently underperform their white peers," Kohler said. "Why is pointing that out and saying that is not good enough; why is that controversial?"
(Anna Staver. “Ohio Board of Education president Laura Kohler to resign over anti-racism resolution. The Columbus Dispatch. October 28, 2021.)
But a lot of Republicans saw the resolution as problematic. They – folks like Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima – said it opened the door to teaching critical race theory.
"We can nuance the words about exactly what that meant and didn’t mean, but I think discussions about these things and how they are taught to individual students should be determined by the parents of those kids," Huffman said.
The state board, in Huffman's opinion, needs to "stop telling parents how to raise their children" and "stop telling schools boards what to think about this giant social issue."
Huffman made it clear to Kohler that he didn't like Resolution 20.
(Anna Staver. “Ohio Board of Education president Laura Kohler to resign over anti-racism resolution. The Columbus Dispatch. October 28, 2021.)
Things finally came to a head in October when an elected member of the board introduced a resolution to repeal the anti-racist one. This new document acknowledged the achievement gaps for minority students, but it also condemned any teachings that "seek to divide."
Resolution 13 passed 10-7 with Kohler and Poklar voting no.
The Ohio Senate did confirm the reappointments of three school board members who voted to repeal the resolution, The Columbus-Dispatch reported Thursday.
Kohler said that although DeWine asked her to resign, she did not come to the decision lightly.
“I made it in the interest of the state board of education, to avoid becoming a distraction when the work the board does is more important than it ever was before,” Kohler said. “And I hope to make it clear to folks that I have tremendous respect and regard for Governor DeWine. ... He’s done a wonderful job of trying to deal with the different opinions of everyone in the state.”
Kohler said it was an honor to have been appointed, but “heartbreaking” that schools have become embattled by politics.
(Doha Madani. “Ohio school board president to resign after refusing to vote against anti-racism resolution. NBC News. October 28, 2021.)
Resolution 20
Resolution 20 condemned hate crimes and white supremacy, laying the groundwork for public educators to be schooled on the concept of implicit bias. It also sought to address the racial gap with test scores, advanced placement classes, graduation rates, resources in classrooms, and disciplinary measures.
Resolution 20 then directed the Ohio Department of Education to examine its curriculums and standardized tests for biases and provide training for all its employees on implicit bias. And it suggested local school districts look at their own curriculums, textbooks, hiring practices and disciplinary policies.
The board isn't the only group of elected officials debating how we teach about issues like slavery, racism and identity. Republicans in the Ohio House have introduced two bills that would ban the teaching of divisive concepts. And they've introduced another bill that would get rid of the eight board of education members appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine.
House Bill 298 would cut Ohio's state education board from 19 members down to 11.
The two Republicans who sponsored the bill didn't mention the anti-racist resolution in their testimony, but a lot of the people who testified in support of the bill did.
The Columbus Dispatch reported board member Kristen Hill was among those folks, and she included a graphic in her written testimony that highlighted all the appointed members who voted for Resolution 20.
"If there were no appointed, the resolution would have basically come out as a draw," Hill said.
“The original resolution passed 12-5, and its repeal passed 10-7. The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau reached out to the appointed members who appeared to have changed their minds but did not hear immediately back.
“Board member Meryl Johnson had a theory though, and she posted on her Facebook page: 'Some of the appointed members were threatened by some legislators with the loss of their positions if they voted against repealing the equity resolution.'”
(Anna Staver. “Ohio State Board of Education repeals its anti-racism resolution.” The Columbus Dispatch. October 14, 2021.)
For All To See: The Text of 20
20. RESOLUTION TO CONDEMN
RACISM AND TO ADVANCE EQUITY AND
OPPORTUNITY
FOR BLACK STUDENTS, INDIGENOUS STUDENTS AND
STUDENTS
OF COLOR
The
State Board of Education (the “Board”) hereby ADOPTS
the following Preambles and
Resolution:
As
our nation grapples with the hard truths of racism and inequality, we
are listening with
broken
hearts and engaging with determined spirits. We acknowledge that
Ohio’s education
system
has not been immune to these problems, and while we earnestly strive
to correct
them, we
have a great deal of work left to do.
Whereas
the Ohio Strategic Plan for Education: 2019-2024 Each Child, Our
Future, adopted
by
a resolution of the State Board of Education in June, 2018 begins
with the vision that in
Ohio
each child is challenged to discover and learn, prepared to pursue a
fulfilling post-high
school
path and empowered to become a resilient, lifelong learner who
contributes to society;
and
Whereas, Equity
is our plan’s greatest imperative and number one principle; and
Whereas
profound disparities between Black, Indigenous and People of Color
(BIPOC)
students
and their white peers exist in all parts of the Ohio education
system; and
Whereas
gaps between test performance of Black, Indigenous and People of
Color (BIPOC)
students
and their white peers have been observed since Ohio began
disaggregating the data;
and
Whereas
progress to close these gaps has been uneven and unsatisfactory; and
Whereas a
culturally responsive curriculum reflects the history and background
of all
students,
and empowers students to value all cultures, not just their own; and
Whereas
research has shown that a culturally responsive curriculum can
motivate students
of
color to a higher level of academic achievement and in many cases
increase the graduation
rate
of previously disengaged students; and
Whereas,
black male students lag far behind their white counterparts in
several measures of
educational
attainment, including graduation rates, which keeps gainful
employment out of
reach,
and
Whereas
starting as early as preschool, black male students are affected
disproportionately
by
suspensions, expulsions and zero-tolerance discipline policies in
schools; and
Whereas
“separate but equal” is no longer the law of the land, but
systemic inequity in
education
has relegated millions of children of color to under-resourced,
struggling schools;
and
Whereas
significant gaps between the performance of Black students compared
to their white
peers
exist even in generously resourced schools; and
Whereas
the State Board of Education believes that public schools are
fundamental to our
democratic
society and we must be dedicated to equity and thoughtful teaching of
future
citizens
that racism, bigotry and hatred have no place; and
Whereas,
the path to equity begins with a deep understanding of the history of
inequalities
and
inhumanity and how they have come to impact current society;
therefore be it
Resolved,
that the State Board of Education condemns, in the strongest possible
terms, white
supremacy,
hate speech, hate crimes and violence in the service of hatred. These
immoral
ideologies
and actions deserve no place in our country, state and school system.
And be it
Further
resolved, that the starting point of our work in racial equity must
be reflection and
internal
examination, whereby the board will look for ways to engage our
members in open
and
courageous conversations on racism, inequity and white privilege; and
be it
Further
resolved that the State Board of Education shall offer training to
Board members to
identify
our own implicit biases so that we can perform our duties to the
citizens of Ohio
without
unconscious racism; and be it
Further
resolved that the State Board of Education shall require training for
all state
employees
and contractors working with the Department of Education to identify
their own
implicit
biases so that they can perform their duties to the citizens of Ohio
without
unconscious
racial bias; and be it
Further
resolved that the State Board of Education directs the Ohio
Department of
Education
to reexamine Standards and Model Curriculums in Language Arts, Social
Studies,
Mathematics
and Science, making recommendations to the State Board of Education
as
necessary to
eliminate bias and ensure that America’s white supremacy, racism
and the
struggle
for equality are accurately addressed; and be it
Further
resolved that the State Board of Education directs the Ohio
Department of
Education
to examine all state administered tests for racial bias; and be it
Further
resolved that the State Board of Education strongly recommends that
all Ohio school
districts
begin a reflection and internal examination of their own involving
teachers, parents,
students
and community to examine curriculum; hiring practices; discipline
strategies,
suspension
and expulsions; classroom resources including text books; and
professional
development;
and be it
Further
resolved that the State Board of Education directs the Ohio
Department of
Education
to provide support for school districts’ reflection and internal
examination,
including
identifying and sharing curricular models and resources; holding
sessions to allow
districts
to share and collaborate on their actions; and to track progress in
implementing
these
changes; and be it
Further
resolved, that the State Board of Education will be led by our
guiding document
Each
Child, Our Future and advocate for it as a framework for developing
policy and action.
Columbus Ohio
July 14, 2020
Paulo DeMaria
Superintendent of Public Instruction
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