Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) and local media news outlets continue to deny that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is embedded in FWISD. Fox 4 and Spectrum News repeat the tagline that “CRT is not in the curriculum” in an attempt to discourage investigation into (and debate over) the existence, effects and impacts of CRT in FWISD. Although it is true that CRT is not technically a formal part of FWISD’s “curriculum”, CRT’s principles and theories permeate FWISD’s day-to-day practices and activities, as can be seen through the actions of teachers, principals and even “woke” students. You may doubt my claim—so let’s take a further look.
In 2020, FWISD created the “Equity Handbook” which highlights how CRT and “Anti-Racism” rhetoric is, for all intents and purposes, a part of FWISD’s “curriculum”. Page 10 of the “Equity Handbook” defines CRT as “[a]n understanding of the endemic nature of racism and white supremacy to US Society at its founding and into the present.” How is this implemented?
One way this is done is through FWISD’s Courageous Conversations teacher training. I obtained several emails from a FWISD teacher—based on the emails (see excerpt below) we can see the detrimental effects of this “training” on long-time, well-respected teachers. This particular teacher wrote that “[w]hat I experienced the last two days sickens and disappoints me because it shows that our society has moved very little since my childhood.” The teacher would go on to write how horrible of an experience the “training” was. Why is FWISD wasting hard-earned taxpayer money to “educate” and “reform” teachers by forcing them to focus on subjects that don’t actually help our students learn basic skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic? When and where will our FWISD students learn how to think critically and solve real-life problems that will determine whether they can financially support themselves and their families in the future?
Another way FWISD promotes CRT is through the Racial Equity Committee. The Committee was founded in 2016 as a means to address “institutional racism.” The FWISD also promotes CRT through the “Racial Equity Committee”. The Committee was founded in 2016 as a means to address “institutional racism.” The Committee is responsible for yearly “Equity Summits” where they have presentations about anti-racism and other “woke” ideologies. On one of the presentations done in the 2020 November Equity Summit you can see the anti-racism slide that says “a little white man is deep inside of all of us.” The presentation would state that white supremacy is everywhere and that it can be internalized. What type of insanity is this? Dr. Scribner even stated at the 2020 summit how CRT, anti-racism and social justice are applied everywhere in the ISD. FWISD continues to preach CRT not because it helps students, but rather because it is business. Fox News published an article about how the ISD spends $2,000,000 per year for the Equity Department alone, with the average annual salary for its employees being $95,000—how convenient.
With the Texas legislature passing a law banning CRT in schools, it is time for FWISD to follow the law. FWISD has already lost the battle against masks. And they will most likely lose the battle with CRT. ISDs across the country should not be wasting time attempting to institute ideology into kids that does not actually help them get ahead in life and in the workforce. Our kids need real-world skills and opportunity that they can apply in real life, not to be repeatedly bombarded with messages about how unfair and “racist” everything and everyone is.
Link for the Equity Handbook: https://www.fwisd.org/cms/lib/TX01918778/Centricity/Domain/2312/EE%20Handbook%209.18.20.pdf
Carlos Turcios 