Hawkeye Reporter

The Iowa General Assembly banned the teaching of critical race theory in the state’s classrooms, but are some educators trying to skirt the law and implement the core ideas of Critical Race Theory (CRT)?

Fox News documented a seminar held just weeks before the new law went into effect. In it, more than 100 teachers workshopped ways to get CRT into lesson plans and class discussions.

“Slide 8 listed a number of topics as ‘covert white supremacy’ and ‘socially acceptable’—including ‘police murdering POC (people of color),’ celebrating Columbus Day or the phrase Make America Great Again,’” Fox reported.

As Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds noted when she signed the bill banning CRT, “This is indoctrination not education. And it’s exactly why I took action to ban teaching divisive concepts and critical race theory in Iowa schools. Kids need to be taught how to think and not what to think.”

Ignoring the law signed by Governor Reynolds, DesMoines public schools began a district-wide anti-racist (CRT’s fabricated name and the practical outwork of its central ideas) initiative, including an anti-racist town hall where parents students, and Black employees were gathered to examine systemic racism in schools. 

Iowa City community school district recommends resources that promote Critical Race theory, and they have devoted a section of their website to “Antiracism tools” discussing white privilege and antiracism.  

Ames Community School District posted resource materials for their “Black Lives Matter Week of Action.” These materials even went as far to say that voter ID laws are racist. Parents had to opt their children out of the BLM action week lessons if they did not want their children taught this. 

One Iowa teacher even proudly explained in a video the ways she was bypassing the law to continue teaching Critical Race Theory. 

The good news is that the dangers of CRT have mobilized a number of parents and concerned community members to get more involved in their local schools—some are even running for school board seats in the November election.

To the Axios news site, this is worrisome.

“The boards hold a lot of influence this school year,” Axios reports. “Critical race theory is banned in classrooms, but the vague law leaves plenty of room for schools to create their own interpretations.”

The new candidates are organized and even backed by local political action committees.

Nov. 2 is fast approaching, but parents and candidates are ready. They’re ready to stand up for public schools and to stand up for the woke bullies in the education establishment.

There are nearly 2,000 school board members in Iowa. They play a crucial role in selecting curriculum and approving texts used by classrooms, adopting budgets, and even resolving legal and disciplinary issues. It’s a thankless job, but moms and dads across Iowa are stepping up to do it.

It’s my hope that Iowans will stand with them on Election Day.

Brooke Rollins is president and chief executive officer at the America First Policy Institute and previously served as an assistant to the president and Director of the Domestic Policy Council under the Trump administration.