The front of Lafayette High School in the summer of 2019 / Photo by Daniel C. Hodges via Wikimedia Commons
Leadership at Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) directed principals to deny that critical race theory is taught in the district, then hosted a racial equity training for teachers featuring known critical race theorist Gloria Ladson-Billings, according to an email obtained by the Daily Caller.
Michelle Jackson, the executive director of teaching and learning at IPS, and Nathalie Henderson, the chief schools officer, sent a joint email on August 24 to principals in the district, instructing them to deny that critical race theory (CRT) is being taught. Principals were instructed to direct parent questions about CRT to Henderson and IPS Chief of Staff Andrew Strope, the email said.
The email contained a document that instructed principals on how to respond to questions about CRT and racial equity training. Principals were told they should tell parents the district uses “culturally relevant material,” a phrase that is synonymous with the teachings of CRT.
“CRT is not curriculum taught in any schools within the Indianapolis Public Schools district,” the document reads. “However, as the largest school district in the state of Indiana that educates the largest number of Black and Brown students of color in the state, IPS firmly stands behind teaching culturally relevant content and engaging in discussions that allow our students to think, question, explore, engage and understand the world in which they live.”
Read more at The Daily Caller
