Statement from Dr. Brown at June 22, 2021 Meeting of the Board of School Directors

The following statement was given by Dr. Kristopher Brown, Equity Officer, at the June 22, 2021, meeting of the Board of School Directors. 

I want to take a moment tonight just to provide some information as a point of clarification about misrepresentation about equity and Critical Race Theory.   

Equity is not synonymous with Critical Race Theory.  Critical Race Theory is a rather complex academic concept, that is typically found in graduate level courses and law schools.  In short, this theory suggests that racism is a social construct, and that it is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something that is embedded in legal systems and policies.  The Abington School District does not teach Critical Race Theory. 

All of Abington School District’s curricular materials are available for public review; in those materials, you will not find Critical Race Theory.  This is not meant as a critique of Critical Race Theory; it is just not something that we teach.

Culturally Responsive Teaching is not synonymous with Critical Race Theory.  Culturally Responsive Teaching is an approach that seeks to affirm the identity and culture of all students; for example, in the classroom, with this mindset of embracing culture, a teacher may choose to give multiple pathways for students to engage with assignments – perhaps there is an option for a more traditional writing assignment, but similarly, there could be an option for a creative song choice, or a spoken word option for submission.  This type of teaching empowers learners by providing multiple means of engagement and representation.  That is equity; that type of practice benefits all students; that type of practice does not teach hate nor does it put students in a box.    

Social Justice is not synonymous with Critical Race Theory.  We can’t remove conversations about race from our school environment.  You will not find a classroom in our school district where the lesson for the day features a teacher telling students that they are racist because they are white.  What you will find in our classes, is the use of the social justice standards – I would like to share with you an example of an Identity Standard, which states that: Students will express pride, confidence and healthy self-esteem without denying the value and dignity of other people.  I would also like to share this Diversity standard which states that Students will respond to diversity by building empathy, respect, understanding, and connection.  In our classrooms for example, when reading the book “Finding Langston”, set in 1946 where the title character, Langston is an African American boy who leaves Alabama with his father following the death of his mother to live in Chicago; our students will be able to engage with empathy when they read about diverse characters and family structures.  

We cannot neglect conversations about race in the school environment because doing so would be a disservice to all of our students and our community.   These matters cannot simply be left to deal with at home.  I would love to be able to tell you that all student interactions in our schools, whether with their peers or other members of the school community, are free of bias, hatred, and racism, however I cannot.  We have a goal of providing a school environment where all students feel a sense of belonging and doing so means that we must work to provide the skills and strategies that are necessary to deal with the racial encounter stress that might result from interactions with peers or other members of the school community, for example, when Asian, Asian-American, Pacific Islander students approach their teacher and report that they have been made fun of or targeted for being Asian, we have a duty to respond and an even greater responsibility to work towards that environment where this kind of hatred doesn’t exist in our schools.  It is through learning about and intentionally engaging with the many dimensions of difference that exist between us, that we can grow to becoming a more equitable school environment.   Through our school curricula, we teach students about emotional regulation; it would be irresponsible of us as a school district to ignore the intense emotions that can result from racial encounter stress and racism. 

It is important for the members of our community to not let the national rhetoric misdirect them from what equity means and why our efforts are so important.  Our equity mindset is a part of our foundation and is evident throughout the district, for example in the playground accessibility study currently underway to provide recommendations that would enable all children to physically access the playgrounds at recess; that is equity.