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Paso Robles school board planning to ban critical race theory

June 20, 2021

School board President Christopher Arend

By KAREN VELIE

The Paso Robles school district board is scheduled to discuss a resolution banning the teaching of critical race theory at its meeting on June 22. If the board votes to approve the resolution on Tuesday, it will require a second vote on July 13.

Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Trustee Dorian Baker proposed the ban last week. Baker’s suggestion follows the board’s April approval of an ethnic studies course under an agreement the course would not include critical race theory (CRT) or the degradation of American leaders, such as George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, based on slavery.

CRT seeks to show racism is embedded in our society, and not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice. Proponents of CRT contend single-family zoning laws and promotion of the nuclear family promote systemic racism.

Critics of CRT charge that it promotes intolerance and unrest by dividing people into either oppressor or oppressed groups, of which only white people can be racist.

School Board President Christopher Arend authored the resolution which challenges the fundamental assumptions of CRT and bans its teachings.

“Critical race theory is a divisive ideology that assigns moral fault to individuals solely on the basis of an individual’s race and, therefore, is itself a racist ideology,” according to the Paso Robles school board’s proposed resolution. “Critical race theory views social problems primarily as racial problems and, thus, detracts from analysis of underlying socio-economic causes of social problems.”

If the school board votes to approve the resolution, teachers will be banned from teaching the following concepts:

  • Only individuals classified as “white” can be racist because only “white” people control society and ethnic minorities cannot be racist because they do not control society.
  • An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist and/or sexist, whether consciously or unconsciously.
  • Individuals are either a member of the oppressor class or the oppressed class because of race or sex.
  • An individual is inherently morally or otherwise superior to another individual because of race or sex.
  • An individual should be discriminated against based on their race or sex, or receive favorable treatment because of their race or sex.
  • An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past or present by other members of the same race or sex.
  • The preservation of slavery was a material motive for our forefathers seeking independence from England.

While barring promotion of CRT ideologies, the resolution allows teachers to provide instruction that “focuses on the flaws in critical race theory.”


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The Right: “We demand free speech for all”


Also the Right: “It ought to be illegal to teach Critical Theory”


-25

Just a moment!


Teaching erroneous hate in a public school is NOT guaranteed by the First Amendment!


Trying to (before it’s rejected) IS guaranteed!


30

Someone doesn’t know what Critical Race Theory is lol. But I guess it is more coveted to be loud and proud than it is to be knowledgeable these days. Sad.


-17

Also the right: ” we have a right to control what our children are being taught”


16

So all the “concepts” listed in this article seem racist and reprehensible. But what is completely missing from this article is if any K-12 teachers in Paso Robles are actually teaching such concepts. If they are doing so, please list the facts and not just random conjecture, because I have found nothing indicating that this is happening. It’s easy to rile people up about the fear of a bunch of lefty liberal teachers trying to indoctrinate your underage kids, but is that really happening or is it just a bunch of misplaced hysteria? I don’t want my kids being taught to worship Satan either, but I don’t think we need a resolution banning it if it’s not happening.


-35

Good for the school board. Make our teachers return to educating instead of indoctrinating. It’s high time to start putting education above Progressive political agendas.


60

This website has become a cesspool of willful ignorance and the sort of stupidity that can only exist in people with zero ability for self-awareness and an absolute inability to exhibit even the slightest bit of self-reflection.


-77

Freedom of the press doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything printed. We need to be subjected to some disagreement and that’s ok. I like that we have elections for our government representatives and that I am free to vote MY conscience and not be required to base my decision on a fixed criteria. Your opinion is duly noted and thankful some people oppose having our children taught “how to view” history. I view June teenth as another government employee paid day off while I go to work to fund the new taxes. The least that could be done would be to allow we sl…working class to get a tax credit in lieu of a day off with pay.


31

Right on ososkid.


-35

Resorting to personal attacks on such a forum, gives great insights into the attacker.


17

About this ‘CRT’,

Pick up a (real) ‘World History’ book, yes, an actual book (if you can find one).

It’ll be the book many of your professors do not want you to read.

In it you will find the one constant, single, driving agent for all mankind’s woe’s: GREED, not Race.

That ‘Disposable Workforce’ that your professors are so eager to blame on Race Is (yes, present tense) actually a result of Unbridled GREED, not Race.

Those ’Slaves’ consisted of every different Race on Earth at one time or another (including caucasians) thru-out history.

So, when these ‘teachers’ try to ram this ‘Critical Race Theory’ down your throat, remember the above, that is the real truth, and the facts of that are well-documented.


49

Good to see. It’s wonderful to realize that not all school board members are woke cowards. At least not yet.


Many are using the CRT teaching of “only individuals classified as ‘white’ can be racist” as license to practice racist behavior, with complete impunity. It’s not working, both anger and division is growing.


I sincerely hope these race-baiters cease with their unacceptable behavior before there’s even bigger problems in the US.


84

The original settlers were seeking RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, not the right to own slaves.


78

Afraid that is only true of some of the early settlers, most came for economic reasons, like I said, there were two parallel developments, free labor in the north starting with the pilgrims and slave labor starting with Jamestown.


-42

You claim you’ve “been there” and that might be true, but wherever that “there” is it sure didn’t give much ability to see the context and texture of history. The idea that the first Europeans to land in North America under the context of what would later become the United States was simply about “religious freedom” is such an oversimplification that it betrays the very simple understanding of history you possess and to say that slavery was not a significant element of that story, well all that does is render your input into any conversation about American history, with anybody who has actually studied it beyond the 5th grade, utterly irrelevant. So long as people like you continue to downplay or deflect this nations history of racism and white supremacy we will never move beyond this problems. One of the most pernicious form racism takes is the denial of racism and you are clearly denying it here


-74

Chris Arend is a right wing ideologue, along with denying what exists in this country (systemic racism) he is mightily in favor of torturing captured combatants. A review of the Congalton show on KVEC back in the bush years one will find Chris defending and promoting torture, which is clearly against the law here and the international Geneva Convention laws of treatment of prisoners. All credible sources (such as the US Senate) have condemned documeted torture by US forces during the first decade of war in Iraq.

Fine man to even be on the school board, much less the president.


-108

Did any of you downvoters check the KVEC archives to hear Arends’ racist and illegal rantings? Probably not, you just don’t want to hear the facts so blast the messenger. Fine citizens you are, how many of you were ransacking the capitol on Jan 6?


-31

If your 8 year old is being taught Critical Race Theory, you should be ecstatic, because that means your 8 year old is in law school and most likely taking graduate level courses.


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